History of the Jews in Kiev
The story of the Jews in Kiev describes Jewish life in Kiev for over 1000 years .
Kievan Rus
Jews lived in Kiev as early as the 10th century. The city was first mentioned in a Hebrew text from this time.
In the 12th century there was a Jewish quarter in Kiev. In 1124 it burned down. Jewish trade travelers reported a large Jewish community in the city.
In 1240 Kiev was devastated by Mongolian horsemen .
Poland-Lithuania
In 1362 Kiev became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . The Jewish population had relatively free living conditions there. In 1495 and 1616 there were riots against Jews . In 1648 many Jews were killed during the Khmelnytskyi uprising .
Russian Empire
In 1654 Kiev came to the Russian Empire . Jews were forbidden to live in Kiev. From 1793, shortly before the Third Partition of Poland , Jews were allowed to live in Kiev again, after which one of the largest Jewish communities in the Ukraine emerged in the city. In 1881 there were pogroms against Jews. In 1894 the Jewish cemetery Lukjaniwskyj was established, where the majority of the city's Jews were buried until 1937. The Podil Synagogue was built in 1895, the Brodsky Synagogue and the Canean Kenesa in 1898 . In 1905 there were again severe pogroms. In 1919, many Jews were killed in pogroms during the Russian Civil War .
Soviet Union
In 1926 the Brodsky Synagogue and the Kenesa were closed, and in 1929 the Podil Synagogue. In 1939 there were 224,000 Jews in Kiev. During the German occupation of Kiev, 35,000 Jewish residents were killed in the Babiy Yar massacre in 1941 , and 15,000 in 1942. Many Jews returned to Kiev after World War II . In 1945 there were riots against Jews with four dead. In 1946 there was a synagogue , which was closed again in 1960. The Jewish cemetery was removed in 1962. Since 1991, many Jews emigrated to Western Europe or to Israel.
Ukraine
Today there are two parishes in the city, with synagogues and schools.
See also
Web links
- Kiev in YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe