TOMASHPIL: [TOMASHPOL, TOMASZPOL , TOMASHPOLYE] : Vinnytsia region

WIKIPEDIA: "The earliest known Jewish community was 17th century. 1939 Jewish population (census) was 3,252. Affecting the Jewish community were Khmelnytskyi Pogroms in 1648-9, pogroms in 1919-20, the shooting of 350 Jews on August 4, 1941, and the 1941-1944 ghetto. Today, Tomashpol is considered a Ukrainian town and few Jews remain there, although sometimes groups or individuals come looking for gravestones or houses of relatives. Some of the old Jewish houses remain on the old street near the central marketplace, although most are in disrepair."

SOURCE with photos: Tomashpol (Ukrainian Tomashpіl) settlement, the regional center of Vinnitsa region, up to 1923. - Yampolsky county town of Podolia. indirect indication of the possible presence of Jews in Tomashpol in the first half of the XVII century. is evidence of a Jewish boy who fled from the Cossacks of Komargoroda Tulchin recorded in the responsa of Rabbi Abraham Cohen Lviv Rappoport. Mentions of Tomashpol documents Khmelnitchyna period are extremely rare: apparently, the city was destroyed in the early months of the uprising (in military dispatches more often mentioned is a few kilometers from Tomashpol downstream Rusava impregnable fortress wall). After signing the treaty in Zborowski 1649 Tomashpol remained under the control of the territory of the Cossack regiment Bratslavskogo. Hard to imagine that any of the remaining Jews in the city survived these bloody years. Tomashpol began to settle and build up again in the first decades of the XVIII century., when the edge, empty for decades of war and the Turkish occupation, returned to his Polish owners. On the ruins of the city quickly grew Jewish town. Census 1765 counted 108 houses, inhabited by 446 Jews. The total number of communities, including Jews seven nearby villages was 531 people. In 1827, this small town was only two merchants who had guild rank: Abram Leib Wolf Dubchak and Kaufman, in 1838 - the same Dubchak and Meilakh Geyshman . In 1852 there were 77 families registered artisans, they were all Jews. in 1853 according to official figures in Tomashpol was stone synagogue and two prayer houses. pogrom wave of 1881 - 1882. not directly affected Tomashpol Jews. By 1889 the number of Jews in the town has increased markedly, reaching five thousand people. In Tomashpol opened a private Jewish school, a library with a collection of books in Russian, Hebrew and Yiddish. At the beginning of XX century Tomashpolsky community had incorporated about six thousand people and had six prayer houses. Part of them were kloyzami Hasidic rabbi belonged to other communities of artisans - butchers, furriers ("Kushnerov") and others. Massive two-storey stone building old Great Synagogue stood near the sugar refining plant, its walls of the prayer hall were decorated with paintings. In addition to headers (which were about ten) in the town was a Talmud Torah, as well as two female and one mixed private Jewish school. In 1919, in the midst of the Civil War, Tomashpol standing in the path of the various military units have repeatedly been subjected to robbery and robbery. In September 1919 for five days Denikin Regiment of the Kuban Cossacks plundered place. The delegation, which included two Jews and one Christian, unsuccessfully sought an audience with the regimental commander or commandant town. In late February - early March 1920 Romania refused to allow its territory retreating troops of the Volunteer Army.Denikin's troops passed through Tomashpol to Poland, looted Jewish homes and tortured Jews in search of valuables. Soldiers raped women in front of their families and then killed their victims. As a result of pogroms 25 people were killed, 210 wounded, and place set on fire. In June 1920, the District Tomashpol Soviet power was established. In 1923 Tomashpol became a district center in the mid-1920s. here was formed Jewish shtetl advice. In the town opened the Jewish seven-year school (closed in 1937) and kindergarten. Until 1938 there was a Jewish Tomashpol farm "Giant" with livestock farm for 400 cows. This farm was one of the most successful in the area. Along with the participation of Jewish youth in the Komsomol organization, Tomashpol until the end of the 1920s continued to work Zionists: in 1923-1924. there were 15 members of the "Gehalutsa" organization, prepare young people for agricultural labor in Eretz Yisrael. before the war, the authorities closed a large synagogue minyany continued to meet in private homes. In 1939, Jews lived there in 1863 (63% of the population). During months elapsed from the date of declaration of war before the occupation began, many Jewish men were conscripted. With the approach of the German units to Tomashpol authorities provided wishing to evacuate several carts. Most of the refugees could not go away and returned to the town, catching their homes looted. July 20, 1941 entered into Tomashpol German infantry unit. The Nazis ordered all Jews to wear a white armband with a Star of David sewn.July 25 were shot first six Jews. According to eyewitnesses, in, in August Tomashpol arrived punitive expedition, led by SS. Was assembled in the early morning gathering of representatives of the Ukrainian population, in order to resolve the question of the Jews. Speakers at the gathering, and among them were known in Tomashpol people, declared that "the Jews should be exterminated, like rotten meat because they have always lived by the Ukrainians." Gathering unanimously passed his Jewish neighbors to death. Approximately one hour later the main street ran-old Ukrainian, and cried out in a loud voice: "Good people, tick where your bachut, more you want vbivati!" But it was too late to escape, drove home to the Jewish police.Jews were driven in the direction of the Jewish cemetery and shot, the weak and the sick killed lopytami. There were shot to death or covered with earth 150 Jews (according to other sources, destroyed more than 240 people). Shortly after the destruction Tomashpol shares was included in Transnistria - Romanian occupation zone. In December 1941, the occupation authorities forced all Jews within twenty-four hours into a ghetto in the eastern part of town. The ghetto was surrounded by barbed wire. Jews settled in dire distress, with 10 - 12 people in the room. Warden ghetto Zalman Bronfman was appointed to guide the community, was elected a committee of 12 people. Jews Authorities used for heavy work in the construction of roads in the quarry on clearing roads of snow, chopping wood, carrying coal, etc. On the way to work exchanged prisoners taken from the house things for food. The inhabitants of the ghetto, crowded into a small area and did not have the right to go beyond it, suffering from exhaustion, as well as fever and other infectious diseases.On the instructions of female community leadership team visited all houses, collecting donations for the poor and the sick. Individual Ukrainians helped Jews, giving them food through the barbed wire. After the Battle of Stalingrad in the ghetto mode relaxations were introduced, in particular, once a week, on Sundays, are allowed to go outside for one hour, which allowed prisoners to exchange last things on food. In 1943 there were 1128 Jews of the ghetto, including a few families from the nearby towns of Podolia and Bessarabia. Tomashpol After his release March 16, 1944 by Soviet troops left here more than a thousand Jews. Tomashpol In postwar remained a significant number of Jews and retains some features of traditional life.Between 1963 and 1966, when Tomashpol lost its status as the regional center, began a mass exodus of Jews in the larger cities. Rid home buying Ukrainians from the surrounding villages. Nevertheless, in 1970-80s. Tomashpol hundreds of Jews lived in varying degrees according to the old traditions of the year 2012 in a few Jews live Tomashpol. Lukin," "100 Jewish towns in Ukraine" Detailed photos [Mar 2012]