Vinnitsa is known since 1363 as a fortress of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1793-1797 it became the chief town of Bratslavskiy uyezd, since 1795 – of Podolskaya guberniya of the Russian Empire. Since 1932 – a regional centre in Ukrainian Soviet Socialistic Republic. 
In 1616 in Vinnitsa lived 50 Jews. In 1897 there were 11 689 Jews in the city (38.2% of the whole city population) in 1910 – 20 257 (45.5%), in 1939 – 33 150, in 1959 – 16 596 (13.6%), in 1970 – 17 984 (8.5%) and in 1989 – 15 200 Jews.
In the documents of 1532 was mentioned a Jew Mikhel, who exercised in Vinnitsa cattle and cloth commerce. In the middle of the 17th century almost all the Jews in Vinnitsa were annihilated by Bohdan Khmelnytskiy brigades. In 1743 and 1750 many Jews perished during the attacks of Haidamaks. The oldest tomb at the Jewish graveyard refers to 1747. In the 18th century a few synagogues were built. In the beginning of the 19th century a Jewish hospital and an asylum for old people were opened. In 1856 there were 9 synagogues, in 1889 – 13. In 1894 a new Talmud-tora was founded. In 1910 there were 17 synagogues, two private Jewish schools for women, a two-grade primary school for men. On October 20-21st 1905 there was a massacre in Vinnitsa which caused great human losses.
During the Civil War, the Jewish population suffered from massacres and brigandage. In 1920’s there were various Zionist organizations in Vinnitsa, including illegal ones. In 1921, “He-Chalutz” motion arranged preparing the young for agricultural works in Eretz-Israel. 
The division “Ha-Shomer ha-Tzair” in 1924 amounted to nearly 200 members (it acted till 1929). In 1931 operated two synagogues. A newspaper in Yiddish “Proletarischer emes” was published. In late 1920’s – early 1930’s, functioned a mobile Jewish theatre, a Jewish pedagogical institute, primary and secondary schools with teaching in Yiddish, Jewish libraries. In 1929 they opened a Jewish department at workers’ courses.
On July 19th 1941 Vinnitsa was occupied with German troops. On July 28th 146 Jews were shot (altogether, in Vinnitsa and its region about 800 Jews were executed), on August 13th – 350, on September 13th – nearly a thousand, on September 22nd (Rosh-ha-Shana) - about 28 thousand Jews, on October 1st – 362 Jewish prisoners of war. On December 1st occupation government registered the survivals (about 5 thousand); on March 16th 1942 they were executed. On august 25th 1942 about 150 Jewish tradesmen dwelling in the camp for the prisoners of war were shot.
In 1946-49 in Vinnitsa functioned a synagogue (shut down under the accusation of “violating the law of cults”), operated the illegal committee of helping poor Jews, groups of studying the Talmud and raising funds for opening a synagogue. It was opened again in early 1950’s. In mid 1950’s, in Vinnitsa existed an illegal Zionist society. In early 1970’s among Vinnitsa Jews began the movement for departure to Israel. Its active leader, engineer Yitzhak Shkolnik, was arrested in 1972, in 1973 sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment on a false accusation of espionage and anti-Soviet propaganda. In 1979 in Vinnitsa took place a court trial on the falsified case of a doctor Mikhail Stern. In 1980’s in Vinnitsa operated a synagogue, existed a Jewish graveyard. In the building of the old synagogues a philharmonic society and a municipal court were located.

In 1944 Vinnitsa municipal Jewish community (chairman Ilya Grobman) was created, in 1996 – Charity Centre “Hesed Emuna”. In 1992 Dmitriy Dvorkis was elected as Vinnitsa mayor. In 1994, in compliance with the data provided by JA, there lived about 7 thousand Jews in Vinnitsa. At present, there are about 3 thousand Jews in Vinnitsa.