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Jewish cemetery in Narodychi

The very first Jewish cemetery in Narodychi was organized back in the time of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, in the 17th century and existed until 1920. Over the years, it became very crowded and turned out to be practically in the center of the town. Therefore, former rebbe of the Jewish community was forced to apply to the city authorities for a new site for the Jewish cemetery. In the 1950s, the first cemetery was built up, and today the district administration and the school are located in its place.

The second Jewish cemetery, which is still operating today, was founded in the north-west of the city around the end of the 19th century and appeared on maps already in the early 1900s. This is a cemetery that has preserved unique local artifacts that are typical only for Polesia Jews. We are talking about wooden tombstones, which have a horizontal arrangement. It is assumed that this is some kind of local shtetl imitation of the tradition of building an ohel. Wooden matzevahs are simple in appearance, they have practically no carved decorations or paintings, which, apparently, should demonstrate the humility of the deceased before eternity.

Meanwhile, their condition in recent years has been quite deplorable due to various kinds of destruction. In this regard, in order to preserve them by local enthusiasts, with the financial assistance of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine, restoration work was carried out: conservation with varnish and a special solution of wooden matzevahs. This will give them the opportunity to survive for some time, so that the memory of the centuries-old Jewish history of Narodychi is preserved as long as possible. There are also many stone matzevahs in the cemetery. The oldest surviving matzevah is dated 1914. Basically, the surviving tombstones are post-war, from the 1940s and 50s.

The perimeter of the cemetery is about 400 meters, it is surrounded by a concrete fence about 1.5 meters high and is under guard. The land under the cemetery is owned by the local territorial community. The territory of the cemetery is quite well-groomed; in the spring and summer period, periodic mowing of the grass is carried out.

This cemetery is also an important reminder of the fact that in 1941 300 Jewish children were shot and buried here. In 2012, a monument was erected on the mass grave.