ONOK

ONOK:     US Commission No. UA06390101
Onok is located in Zakarpatskaya at 48°_ 23°_, 45km from Mukachevo. The cemetery is located at East part of the village. Present town population is under 1,000 with no Jews.

• Town officials: Vinogradovsky Region Executive Council - Co-Chairman-Shkopitko Vasiliy Ivanovich [Phone: (03143)22408].
  
• Regional: Vinogradovsky Regional Dept. of Culture, Chairman Goliba I.A. [Phone: (03143)22774]. Zakarpatsky Oblast Executive Council, Chairman Ustich Sergey Ivanovich [Phone: (03122)33051]. Zakarpatsky Oblast Administration of Culture, Chairman Gavorets Vasiliy [Phone: (03122)35373].
  
• Jewish Community of Vinogradov, Chairman Rozner Nikolay Izidorovich [Phone: (03143)23446].
  

     The earliest known Jewish community was 19th century. 1926 Jewish population (census) was 200. In 1918, Zakarpat'ye was transfered to Czech and 1944 deportation of Jews to death camp. The Jewish cemetery was established in the 19th century with last known Hasidic burial 1943. The isolated urban flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. No wall, fence, or gate surrounds the cemetery. 21 to 100 common tombstones, most in original location with between 25%-50% toppled or broken, date from 19th to 20th century. Location of any removed stones is unknown. The cemetery has no special sections. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. Municipality owns property used for Jewish cemetery only. Properties adjacent are agricultural and residential. The cemetery boundaries are unchanged since 1939. Rarely, local residents visit. The cemetery was vandalized during World War II. There is no maintenance now. Within the limits of the cemetery are no structures. Vegetation overgrowth is a seasonal problem, preventing access. Moderate threat: uncontrolled access, vegetation and vandalism. Slight threat: weather erosion, pollution and existing nearby development.
     Oks Vladimir Moiseevich of 270065, Odessa, Varnenskaya Steet 17D, Apt. 52 [Phone: (0482)665950] visited site on 4/07/1995 and interviewed was Rozner N.I. of Vinogradov. Oks completed survey on 04/08/1995.Documentation: Short Jewish Encyclopaedia, v.2, Jerusalem, 1982; Encyclopaedia Ukraineznavstvo, vol. 1-2, Kiev, 1993. Other documentation exists but was inaccessible.
     I visited this small village with a native emigrée, Mrs. Gelb from Philadelphia, whose mother is buried there. She told me of the 150 Jews before the war who were deported in 1944 to the Ghetto in Mukachevo, and from there to Aushwitz. Now, there are no Jews in the village. She and her brother maintain contact with the caretaker family. They pay them from time to time. I assume that visits are rare. The Orthodox cemetery is located in a private farm on the back of a hill. 100 tombstones, some broken, but most OK, date from end of the last century. The latest tombstone is 1983. A simple fence surrounds the cemetery. Agriculture fields surround the location. The present size of the cemetery is about 100x100 Meters. There are no signs of vandalism. All the inscriptions are in Hebrew. I visited 1 September 1998. Source: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.