jewish cemeteries, synagogues, and mass grave sites in ukraine

V. AUDIENCE
V.1 The Return Home
Who cares about the location, access and condition of Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine? The major
interest comes from two distinct, though sometimes overlapping, constituencies. First, there are
religiously observant Jews who feel a deep responsibility for the upkeep of the cemeteries. Chief
among these are groups of Hasidic Jews who hold the resting places of their Tsaddikim, rabbis,
and ancestors, in special esteem. Hasidic Jews, more than others, are likely to take long trips
specifically to visit these graves. The trips, which are in every sense religious pilgrimages, are
often the catalysts for action to protect and restore Jewish cemeteries.
A second constituency consists of Jewish genealogists. They are in search of information about
families that can be derived from gravestone inscriptions, but many also seek an emotional
experience, using the physical proximity to the graves of their ancestors as a way of linking to a
lost past. A number write accounts of their visits, including their inner reflections. These are
circulated among family members, and some are posted for a wider public on the Internet or
published in genealogical journals.
Genealogists often use the survey form used in collecting data for this report in order to help sort
their observations when visiting a cemetery site. For example, Michael Tobin visited the town of
Bohuslav (Boslov) in July 1997. He described the cemetery as follows:
Parts of the cemetery are completely overgrown making access to the stones extremely difficult.
Other areas have been kept clear, probably by local grazing animals. Most of the stones are in
place, but some have been knocked over or only the base remains. I guess there are, maybe, 200
stones there, some with all Hebrew writing, some post–WW2, with all Russian writing. The
cemetery is on a hill overlooking a wide expanse of a valley and surrounding farms. It's quite a
beautiful and peaceful place. The gravestones themselves are in pretty good condition, but
obviously worn. The stones are mostly very light in color which makes reading them very
difficult. Using shaving cream (which can be harmful to the stone) or talcum powder to try to
make reading the stones easier was of little use because of their light color. An earlier visitor had
painted many of the stones with black paint where the letters are. This made reading and
photographing the stones easier. I would recommend future visitors continue this effort. I was
able to photograph about 30 of the stones. 64
In 1990, when Americans first began to travel to Ukraine, David Duval wrote:
This morning I am going to BORZNA!…It is difficult to describe one's feelings at a time
like this. I have come to the USSR for this day. I want to be as sponge-like as I can, and yet I
know I will miss much. What will it be like? At the cemetery we find the location and walk over
to some markers we see in the distance. They are surrounded by a metal fence but are mostly
recent. All are located at the edge of a field and number no more than eight or nine. Where are
the older graves? A woman walks by and we inquire about these. She says that this was all that
is left; the main part has been plowed under! I can see why Lena doesn't like to come out here.
64 On the Internet, see http://www.channel1.com/users/mtobin/boguslav/boguslav.html.
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