» Articles » Jewish Nikolaev

Jewish Nikolaev

Nikolaev is a city in the south of Ukraine, which was founded at the end of the 18th century. Jews settled here since the city was laid. They came from Galicia, became contractors at the shipyards of the Black Sea Fleet and were engaged in craft.

The history of the eviction of the Jewish population from Nikolaev is evidence of the role of Jews in the urban economy. In the late 1820s, authorities discovered theft in the Admiralty. Jewish involvement was not proven, but it was decided to evict them so that there was no one to sell stolen goods. In 1829, a decree of Tsar Nicholas I was issued forbidding Jews who were not in military service to stay in the city.

Military Governor A. Greig believed that the aktion would undermine the urban economy. He took advantage of the clause of the decree that no constraint should be imposed on the evicted and asked for a delay in the implementation of the decree. In order to compensate for the losses to the urban economy, a decree was issued in 1831, which provided a decade of benefits to merchants and artisans of Christian origin.

The eviction of Jews took place in 1834. Despite the measures undertaken by the authorities, Nikolaev's economy fell into decay. Already in 1837, the Minister of the Interior applied for permission to settle in the city to the parents of those Jews who are in military service. The request was partially granted. Only widowed mothers were allowed in the city.

In 1858, by a decision of the Council of State, honorary citizens, merchants and craftsmen were allowed to stay in the city during fairs or learning craft. In 1860, restrictions were lifted. According to the 1897 census, Jews accounted for 22% of city dwellers. 20.1 thousand of them lived in Nikolaev.

In 1884, the Choral Synagogue was built in the city. By 1910, 15 national educational institutions worked.

The community survived several pogroms in 1881, 1899, 1905 and 1919. By 1926, Jews made up 20.8% of the urban population. Since the late 1920s, Soviet power has shifted to oppression of the religious life of Jews. In 1928, the Choral Synagogue was given over to a club for Jewish workers. In 1935, the Old Synagogue was closed.

By 1939, 25.2 thousand Jews lived in Nikolaev. With the beginning of the German invasion, part of the Jewish population managed to evacuate along with shipyards. At the time of the occupation in August 1941, about 13 thousand Jews remained in the city.

The Nazis carried out their first execution in August 1941. In September 1941, 5 thousand people were shot at a Jewish cemetery. Some Jews were shot outside the city. In 1942, the Nazis set up a work camp where Jews were brought from other settlements. Prisoners of the camp were exterminated in 1943.

By 1959, the Jewish population of the city was 15.8 thousand people, or 6.8% of the urban population. In 1962, the last synagogue was closed.

Jewish life was revived only in the early 1990s. According to the 2001 census, 3.2 thousand Jews lived in the city, which made up 0.5% of citizens.