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March, 15 - 2025March, 15 - 2025 |
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Chanukah Tour around UkraineChanukah Tour around Ukraine |  |
| Chernigov |
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 The first record of Chernigov in the chronicles refers to 907. In the first half of the 10th century Chernigov was a part of the lands under tribute of Khazarian Kaganate. In the 11th century Chernigov Jewish community was created. Over the period of existence of Chernigov princedom (1054-1239) Chernigov was the centre of Jewish scholarship. In the range of Jewish sources of the 13th century, for instance, in responses by rabbi Yitzhak (England, the 13th century) there is information about rabbi Yitzha (Yitzhak) from Chernigov. In 1239 the city was destroyed by Tatars.
In 1611 the city was seized by Poles, and Jews settled in the city again, but in 1623 the king of Rzecz Pospolita Wladislav IV produced the decree which prescribed to evict Jews from Chernigov province (“wojewodztwo”) because of the local Christian merchants’ and tradesmen’s complains of Jewish business rivalry. But the decree was not brought into action.
Chernigov Jewish community was annihilated in 1648 during the riot lead by Bohdan Khmelnitskiy.
During the war between Russia and Poland in 1654-1667 the city was occupied by the Polish troops and Jews began to settle there again. After that, when Ukraine became a part of Russia, repeated attempts were made to evict Jews from the guberniya, massacres took place, but landlords and Cossacks foremen sabotaged governmental orders concerning eviction of Jews because of their own economical interests. In 1821 Jews accused of “hard enslavement” of peasants and Cossacks were banished from breech and Cossacks settlements in Chernigov guberniya and in 1855 they were deprived of the right to buy land.
In 1865 Jews in the guberniya fell under the Jewish Pale rule connected with their right for dwelling.
In compliance with the data of the census of 1897 there were 27 006 inhabitants in Chernigov, including 8805 Jews (i.e. about 29%). Considerable Jewish communities existed in Nezhin (7 630 persons), Starodub (5 109 persons), Konotop (4 420 persons), Novozybkov (3 836 persons) and so on.
Jewish communities in Nezhin and Konotop suffered greatly from massacres in 1881.
Main occupations of the Jewish population were trades and commerce.
In 1897 there were 9 agricultural Jewish settlements and more than 70 charity organizations in Chernigov guberniya. In the beginning of the 20th century there were 4 synagogues and a lot of meetinghouses in Chernigov. The majority of the Jews were HaBaD Hasidim.
In 1898 there were 4 Talmud-torahs, 413 cheders, 11 Jewish schools in the guberniya.
In 1905 after publication of the tsar’s manifesto on October 17th, in Chernigov guberniya took place more than a half of October massacres around the whole Russia (390 massacres out of 630).
During the Civil War Chernigov Jewish community again suffered great losses caused by massacres arranged by the armed Directoriya troops and Denikin’s White Guardists.
Under the Soviet government social and religious life of the Jews was gradually annihilated. In early 1920’s all religious and private Jewish educational institutions were shut off, instead of them state Jewish schools were opened, but in late 1930’s they were shut off, as well.
The majority of Jewish population in Chernigov region was annihilated over the period of Nazis’ occupation. By the beginning of the occupation there were 10 thousand Jews, and only 260 of them managed to survive.
Having returned to Chernigov after the war, they, together with all the Jews in the Soviet Union, were exposed to new limitations from the government.
During the anti-religious campaign in 1959 the last acting synagogue was shut off, and all the attributes of the cult were forfeited.
Renewal of the Jewish community began in 1989 with creation of the Chernigov centre of Jewish culture. Then, in compliance with the census of 1989, there lived 6 184 Jews.
Today, Chernigov is a Ukrainian regional centre with population of 301 thousand.
In Chernigov, there live representatives of many nationalities and peoples which inhabit Ukraine.
There are about 4 thousand Jews in the city. There are a few registered national unions that are in close relationship with Jews. They lead joint cultural events and festivals: “We are all your children, Ukraine” and “Pearls of the motherland”.
 
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Joint events: articlesJoint events: articles |
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Charity Fund “People Who Care”.
Zaporozhye, Ukraine.
www.wedocare.com.ua | email: pwhoc05@gmail.com
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