PECHORA [POTCHERA, PECHERA PECIORA ,PECZARA , PETSCHARA, PECHARA, PECERA, PECORA] Vinnitsa oblast

• JewishGen Ukraine SIG
• Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), VII, p. 932: "Peczara".
• Shtetl Finder (1980), p. 76: "Potchera".
• Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 977: "Pechera".

PECHORA Jews: may be buried at Rachni-Lesov

MASS GRAVES:

• PECHORA I:     US Commission No. UA01600501
• Alternate name: Pesiora (Yiddish), Petchora (German) and Pecora (Polish). The town is located at 48°50 28°42, 50 km from Vinnitsa and 38 km from Tulchin.
• The mass grave is located in the Jewish cemetery, opposite the entrance. Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.

• Town: Village Soviet Chairman-Migavsky Yakov Ivanovich [tel. (071) 49935].
  
• Regional State Department of Tulchin, Chairman Zaremba Evgeny Nikolaevich [tel. (04335) 21463]. Regional State Archives of Vinnitskaya Oblast.
  
• Interested: Jewish Community of Vinnitsa, Chairman Desner. The Union of the Young Prisoners of Concentration Camps, Tulchin branch [tel. (04335) 22779].
  
• The earliest known Jewish community was 17th century. 1918 Jewish population was 896. Effecting the Jewish community were 1918 pogroms of Civil War and 1941-1944 concentration camp and mass execution of the Jews. Living here were R. Voika Grobman and R. Yankel' Shpikel'man. The last known Jewish burial was in 1942. No other towns or villages' Jews were murdered in this unlandmarked mass grave. The rural (agricultural) hillside, part of a municipal cemetery, has signs or plaques in local language, Yiddish, and Russian mentioning the Holocaust and Russianss. Reached by turning directly off a public road and the Jewish cemetery, access is open to all with a broken fence without gate. 1-20 stones, all in their original location, date from 1941. Some tombstones have traces of painting on their surfaces and other metallic elements. The mass grave contains marked mass graves and unmarked mass graves. Municipality owns site used for Jewish cemetery only. Properties adjacent are agricultural, cemetery, and the forest. The mass grave boundaries are larger now than 1939. Occasionally, organized individual tours, private visitors and local residents stop. The mass grave was vandalized occasionally in the last ten years. Jewish groups and individuals within country re-erected stones and cleared vegetation annually. Occasionally, individuals clean or clear. Within the limits of the site are no structures. Serious threat: vandalism (In 1996, part of the fence was destroyed). Moderate threat: uncontrolled access, weather erosion and vegetation-disturbing graves. Slight threat: pollution.
• Sokolova Eleonora Eugen'evna of 253152 Kiev, 5 Tychiny St., Apt. 68 [tel. (044) 5505681] visited site and completed survey on 16/10/96. Interviewed were Bartik Mikhail Abramovich of 11, Kotovskogo St., Tulchin [tel. (04335) 22779]. Documentation: look to Additional Comments [sic]. Other documentation exists but was inaccessible.
• PECHORA II:     US Commission No. UA01600101
• The cemetery is located at the NNE outskirts, at the left of the road on the hill. The Jewish cemetery was established in the 17th century with last known Jewish burial in 1942. Sokolets (1 km away) used this unlandmarked cemetery. The isolated rural (agricultural) hillside has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with no wall or fence but a non-locking gate. The approximate size of cemetery before WWII and now is 0.90 hectares. 101-500 stones, most in their original location, date from 1905. Location of removed stones is unknown. Some tombstones have metal fences around graves. The cemetery contains marked mass graves and unmarked mass graves. The municipality owns site used for Jewish cemetery only. Properties adjacent are agricultural and the forest. The cemetery boundaries are unchanged since 1939. Occasionally, organized individual tours, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors and local residents visit. The cemetery was vandalized occasionally in the last ten years. Jewish individuals and groups within country erected stones in 1991 as restoration of the mass burial site. Occasionally, individuals clean or clear. Within the limits of the cemetery are two ohels. Very serious threat: vegetation. The cemetery is overgrown with trees and bushes, which are destroying the tombstones. Serious threat: vandalism. (In 1996, part of the fence was destroyed.) Moderate threat: uncontrolled access, weather erosion and pollution.
• Sokolova Eleonora Eugen'evna of 253152 Kiev, 5 Tychiny St., Apt. 68 [tel. (044) 5505681] visited site and completed survey on 16/10/96.

• PECHORA:     US Commission No. UA01600502
• The mass grave is located at the outskirts of the forest, 2 km of the village. The last known Jewish burial was in 1944. Bratslav (19 km away) and Shpikov (19 km away) Jews were murdered in this unlandmarked mass grave between fields and woods, on isolated flat land and a hillside with signs or plaques in local language, Yiddish and Hebrew mentioning Jews, the Holocaust, and the Jewish Community. Reached by crossing other public property (at the road over the forest), access is open to all with a continuous fence but no gate. 1-20 stones, all in original location, date from 20th century. Some tombstones have traces of painting on their surfaces and other metallic elements. The site contains marked mass graves. Municipality owns site used for Jewish cemetery only. Properties adjacent are agricultural and forest and ravines. The mass grave boundaries are larger now than 1939. Occasionally, organized Jewish group tours or pilgrimage groups, organized individual tours, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors and local residents visit. This mass grave was not vandalized. There has been re-erected stones, cleaned stones and cleared vegetation. Local/municipal authorities, Jewish individuals within country, Jewish individuals abroad and Jewish groups within country did restoration in 1945, 1976, 1989, and 1991. Now, there is occasional clearing or cleaning by authorities. Within the limits of the site are no structures. Moderate threat: uncontrolled access, weather erosion and vegetation-seasonal. Slight threat: pollution and vandalism.
  Sokolova Eleonora Eugen'evna of 253152 Kiev, 5 Tychiny St., apt. 68 [tel. (044) 5505681] visited site and completed survey on 16/10/96. Interviewed were Bartik Mikhail Abramovich of 11, Kotovskogo St., Tulchin, Vinnitskaya Oblast. [Tel. (04335) 22779] on 16/10/96. Documentation: look to Additional Comments. [sic] Other documentation exists but was inaccessible.