VINITSA: US Commission No. UA01010102
Alternate name: Winnica (Yiddish), Winnitsa (Polish), Vinitza (Russian) and Winniza (Ukraine). Vinitsa is located in Vinnitskaya at 49º14 28º29, 280 km from Kiev and 139 km from Uman. The cemetery is located at Xmelnitskoe Highway. Present town population is over 100,000 with 1,001-10,000 Jews.
- Town officials: Town Archives, 17 Lenin St.: Village Soviet [Phone: (0432) 358296].
- Town Jewish Community Chairman Schufir L. [Phone: (0432) 273755]. Jewish Community of Chairman Diper I. [Phone: (0432) 443650].
- Caretaker: Petryenko I.V.
The earliest known Jewish community was 1532. 1926 Jewish population (census) was 21812. Effecting the Jewish Community were 1648 near complete destruction of community, 1734-1750 pogrom, mass killings by Hidamaks, 1905 pogrom and 1941 shooting of Jewish people. Living in this Jewish community was E.I. Stern. The Jewish cemetery was established in 1727 century. Buried in the cemetery are Israel Isera died 1829 and Joseph Jacoblevich Linetzski died 1885 with last known Hasidic burial 1994. No other towns or villages used this cemetery. The urban flat land, separate but near other cemeteries, has signs or plaques in local language. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. A continuous fence with locking gate surrounds the cemetery. There are more than 5000 stones, all in original location with none toppled or broken, date from 1747. Stones were removed to another cemetery. The cemetery has special sections for men and women. Some tombstones have traces of painting on their surfaces, portraits on stones and/or metal fences around graves. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. Municipality and a Regional or national governmental agency owns property now used for mixed cemetery. Properties adjacent are residential and forest. The cemetery boundaries are larger now than 1939. Frequently, Jewish or non-Jewish private visitors and local residents visit. The cemetery was not vandalized in the last ten years Local/municipal authorities and other (local residents, relatives) patched broken stones, cleaned stones and cleared vegetation. Now, individual clear or clean occasionally. Within the limits of the cemetery are a pre-burial house and a well. Vegetation overgrowth is a seasonal problem, preventing access.
Fuchs visited site on /07/1994. Interviewed was Spiri, E. I on /07/1994. Fuchs, M. L. of Vinitsa [Phone: 358296] completed survey on /07/1994. Documentation:
Jewish Encyclopaedia in 16 vol. Izd. Brokhaus-Efron; Kratkaya
Jewish Encyclopaedia Izd-vo Jerusalem 1976;
Encyclopaedia Judaica in 17 vol. Jerusalem;
History of Towns and Villages In Ukraine-Vinnitska Oblast URE 1969; A.
Krilov Population of places in Podol province-Kamenetz Podol , 1905.
