Mass Grave – Bukovina Jewish Heritage Sites

Chudei Jewish Memorial and Cemetery – provided by Philip Moses of Vancouver, Canada – 6/2018

This post documents the site at Chudei, (also known as Ciudin by the Jews in 1940) Ukraine (formerly Romania) based on a visit by me, Philip Moses of Vancouver, Canada and my brother Richard Moses of Ottawa, Canada on May 10, 2018.

There is a memorial on the site of the mass murder, located about a block or two from the town centre, next to a Primary School.

We were transported by 2 guides, originating In Suceava Roumania and driving to the border where we walked into Ukraine and met a Ukrainian driver. The border has long waits and therefore the idea to walk across the border both ways.

The road from Storozhynets direction is in much better shape, and although Google shows the more direct route as shorter time-wise, it is in very bad condition and actually takes longer. So, we recommend the longer route.

Not far from the centre of the village is a school for young children. Just behind the school there is a playground and next to it is a large memorial with a base in the shape of a Magen David.

The Memorial

The school. In 1941 – courthouse and jail

In that school site, in 1941 there was a courthouse and jail. Sometime between July 3-5, 1941, the 650 Jews of the town were locked into the main jail. Then our grandfather, aunts and uncles and cousins were shot and thrown into a mass grave behind the building.

My father Asiu Moses was hiding in the woods and escaped. His full story can be found at https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Chudyn/chu001.html

The original Jewish cemetery of Chudei is out of the village along the road, in the same direction from town as the memorial, a kilometre or two opposite to the Christian cemetery. It is very overgrown and many of the tombstones would require a large cutting tool to chop down the overgrowth. The writing on many of the stones is difficult or impossible to discern. Many are in better shape and identifiable.

Shargorod Memorial – 8/2017 – by Josef (Julku) Klein

This memorial was erected at the Shargorod Cemetery. It was the initiative of and funding by the engineer Mr. Rubin (Bubby) Laufman, a native of Kimpolung, in memory of his father Zeev (Wilhelm) Laufman and his grandmother Sarah and his grandfather Joseph, and not less important, to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust from the communities of Kimpolung-Bukovina and the surrounding area, who were deported to Transnistria, to the Shargorod ghetto, during World War II, where they perished from illnesses, cold, hunger and endless marches in Ukranian roads. Some of them were buried on the site as individuals, but most of them were buried in a mass grave in the Shargorod cemetery.

Here is an article (in German) written by Mr. Klein and 3 pictures taken during the dedication ceremony.

Shargorod monument

Dr. M. A. Becker – Urkivcy (Yurkivka) Mass grave and murder site – July 2017

Dr. Becker visited Yurkivka in 7/2017 in search of the murder site of his father Hermann Zwi Hersch Becker and 12 other Jews who fled from the working camp Tulcin (about 24 km from Yurkivka).
One person with the name Mr. Ritter survived the shooting and told this story.
The murder took place on the 11th of July 1943.
Further he searched for the mass-grave monument of the Jews murdered in 1941 and 1942.
He was able to locate both: the monument and the place assumed to be the murder site.

Here is the sign to Yurkivcy (Yurkivka).

In the picture below are Yana (right) – the Mayor of Yurkivka – and Natalia (left) accompanied us finding the places in the forest. (in the middle is Ofer Becker).

The following map depicts where the murder site is:

The following picture show the mass grave monument of the Yurkivka Jews murdered in 1941 and 1942.

The following document (in Romanian) is the proof of the murder on 11 July 1943. It is taken from the book Matatias Carp (1946-1948). „Cartea neagră – Suferințele evreilor din România 1940-1944” (3 volume cu ilustratii . Page 299).

http://www.survivors-romania.org/pdf_doc/cartea_neagra_3.pdf

Kyseliv Memorial – 14 July 2016 – by Baruch Eylon

On 11-15 July 2016 a delegation of the World Organization of Bukovina Jews traveled to North Bukovina for a pilot project to survey Jewish Heritage Sites in the area around Storozhynetz. The team members were Sara Sweiry, Nathan Kinsbrunner and Baruch Eylon.

During this trip the team surveyed 12 heritage sites, met with local officials, filled the questionnaire (using a mobile application that allows capturing text and pictures, including GPS coordinates) and posted the information on the web, to make it available to all interested people around the world.

The team also prepared recommendations what to do in each site.
The filled survey about this site can be seen at

http://gazpacho.netalizer.co.il/gazpachoNG/#/public-report/5581183/17992/ALD1BW0NFY?l=he-il

This post provides pictures taken by the team at the Kyseliv Jewish Memorial for the 150 Kyseliv Jews that were murdered there in WWII – in the night of 29-30 July 1941 . The memorial is located in the fields far from the village.
The memorial was built approximately in 2006 by Mrs. Alti Rodal from Canada but the inscription on the memorial is no longer there. One of the pictures shows the inauguration ceremony.

The picture of the original memorial with the inscriptions was provided by Mr. Zvi Schwartzman. Thanks. Here it is.

Here are the pictures from there – the village and municipality, the team, the memorial, the local people that showed us around and a document with the list of victims.

List of victims
Jewish Victims of Kyseliv murder

Pictures from Kyseliv.

Czerecz- mass grave – 13 July 2016 – by Baruch Eylon

On 11-15 July 2016 a delegation of the World Organization of Bukovina Jews traveled to North Bukovina for a pilot project to survey Jewish Heritage Sites in the area around Storozhynetz. The team members were Sara Sweiry, Nathan Kinsbrunner and Baruch Eylon.

The team also prepared recommendations what to do in each site.
The filled survey about this site can be seen at

http://gazpacho.netalizer.co.il/gazpachoNG/#/public-report/5567020/17992/J5JX5ECXR9?l=he-il

This post provides pictures taken by the team in Czerecz: A mass grave supposedly exists in the forest behind the lake, across from the village church. We didn’t find it.

The pictures of the village and area (Close to the village church, in the forest across the lake) where it may be is shown below.

Czernowitz Mass Grave – provided by The Chernivtsi Museum of the History and Culture of Bukovinian Jews

Mass grave of Jewish citizens of Chernivtsi, who were killed in 1941-42.
Jewish cemetery in Chernivtsi, Zelena Street.

Source: www.ehpes.com
Provided by Mrs. Anna Yamchuk, PR and Programme Manager,
The Chernivtsi Museum of the History and Culture of Bukovinian Jews

Tzibulevka Jewish Mass Grave – by Ptachia & Bruria Menkin

On 7-15 July 2015 a group of almost 90 people from Israel went on a journey on the path of the Holocaust of Romanian Jews, in Bukovina and Transnistria valley of death.

Mr. Ptachia Menkin and Mrs. Bruria Menkin took part in this journey, that was organized by the World Organization of Bukovina Jews and led by Mr. Yochanan Ron Singer and Mr. Dan Marian. The Menkins also visited this area previously in 2013, 2011 and 2005.

One of the places they visited was Tzibulevka in Transnistria, where they saw 3 monuments on the mass grave of Jews murdered in WWII. Among those victims were Bruria’s grand parents – Israel and Brana Margulis from Siret. Bruria’s mother has always cried that there is no grave of her beloved parents and finding this mass-grave has resolved her sorrow.
The monuments are in a corn field, approximately 1 Km from the village. Two monuments are close to each other and one is 50m away. The monuments are built on a stone basis.
Please note that there are 2 villages – Old and New Tzibulevka (Staraya Tzibulevka, Novaya Tzibulevka).
See below a map of the area and pictures of the monuments and visit also http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/he/research/ghettos_encyclopedia/ghetto_details.asp?cid=871 .

קבר אחים בציבולובקה 2 2015

קבר אחים בציבולובקה 3 2015

קבר אחים בציבולובקה 1 2015

Budinetz Murder Site – by Avraham Iwanir

In July 2015 I attended “The journey on the path of Romanian Jews Holocaust and the valley of death – Transnistria”. In 2006, I also participated in a “Roots journey” to North Bukovina, that was organized by Mr. Danny Marian.

I think the current trip is the first historical event (and hopefully not the last !).

The mass murder of North Bukovina and Bessarabia Jews was in July 1941, in which approximately 120,000 Jews were murdered.

The Village Chudey (Czudyn)

In early July 1941, all Jews in the Northern Bukovina village Chudey were murdered by the Romanian army.

In this journey, I felt it is a sacred duty to locate the place of the murder of the Chudey and Budinetz Jews.

Budinetz (Budineti)

Just a few kilometers from Chudey, along the road bordering the woods, we saw a Star of David (Magen David) made of concrete, with a sign – a small plaque in memory of the murder site. Further details are in the file in the link below.

The murder site of Budinetz Jews

The murder site of Chudey (Czudyn) Jews – by Avraham Iwanir

I think the current trip is the first historical event (and hopefully not the last !).

The mass murder of Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia Jews was conducted in July 1941, in which approximately 120,000 Jews were murdered.

The Village Chudey (Czudyn)

In early July 1941, all Jews in the Northern Bukovina village Chudey were murdered by the Romanian army.

In this journey, I felt it is a sacred duty to locate the place of the murder of the Chudey Jews. On July 10^th 2015 I hired a taxi (a Hebrew-speaking driver) in Czernowitz and after a few hours ride and searches we got to the murder site, in the center of the village / town. Many of the village residents did not know or want to provide information about the murder site.

Our findings are detailed in the attached file:
1. Photos from murder site.
2. The building that housed the court house – the “GERICHT” and the prison.
The Jews were assembled in this village and killed.

Dr. Fanny Wald, in her book “My victory – Memories”, in the chapter “The Romanians return to control of our region“, in pages 23-34 – “Pogrom” mentions this event. and brings a very important and exclusive testimony about this event. This book was published by her family in a limited edition.

Note: The 2015 Yad Vashem work plan included publication of the book (it was budgeted), and its publication is still under review.
See more in the following link.

The murder site of Chudey
and the house of Dr. Fanny Wald.

Kiselevo-Borivcy Mass Grave Memorial – by Mr. Zvika Schwartzman

On 7-15 July 2015 a group of almost 90 people from Israel went on a journey on the path of the Holocaust of Romanian Jews, in Bukovina and Transnistria valley of death.

Mr. Zvika Schwartzman took part in this journey, that was organized by the World Organization of Bukovina Jews and led by Mr. Yochanan Ron Singer and Mr. Dan Marian.

One of the places Mr. Schwartzman visited was

On 7-15 July 2015 a group of almost 90 people from Israel went on a journey on the path of the Holocaust of Romanian Jews, in Bukovina and Transnistria valley of death.

One of the places Mr. Schwartzman visited was Kiselevo-Borivcy Mass Grave Memorial in Ukraine, where they saw the Mass Grave of Jews that were murdered there.

The picture of the original memorial with the inscriptions was provided by Mr. Zvi Schwartzman. Thanks. Here it is.

See pictures of the Mass Grave Memorial and the village mark.
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