Bershad
Encyclopedia
Bershad is a small city
in the Vinnytsia Oblast
(province
) of western Ukraine
. It is the administrative center
of the Bershadsky Raion (district
).
The population is around 13,300 (as of 2001).
Bershad is home to the football
club FC Bershad in the Persha Liha (season 2005-06
).
and six houses of prayer. In June, 1648, during the uprising of the Cossack
s under Chmielnicky (Bohdan Khmelnytsky
), the most bloodthirsty of his leaders—Maksim Krivonos—conquered Bershad and slew all the Jews and Catholic
s . S. A. Bershadski, the celebrated historian of the Russia
n Jews
, descended from a Cossack
family at Bershad, where his great-grandfather officiated as a Greek Orthodox priest (Greek Orthodox Church
).
Bershad was famous in the middle of the nineteenth century for its Jewish weavers of the tallit
(ritual shawl word at prayers). But at the end of the century the demand decreased, and the industry declined, leading many of the weavers to emigrate to America
.
In 1941, the Romanian forces transformed this city into a ghetto
, where thousands of Jews were starved to death, including Bessarabian Hebrew writer and Yiddish poet Mordechai Goldenberg. Many of the victims were brought in from Bessarabia
.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia.-Geography:The area of the region is 26,500 km²; its population is 1.7 million....
(province
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
) of western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It is the administrative center
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the Bershadsky Raion (district
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
).
The population is around 13,300 (as of 2001).
Bershad is home to the football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club FC Bershad in the Persha Liha (season 2005-06
Ukrainian First League 2005-06
-Teams:In 2005-06 season, the Ukrainian First League consists of the following teams:-Final table:*Nyva Vinnytsja merged its operations with FC Bershad' and moved to Bershad' and renamed the club prior to the start of the season...
).
History
In 1900 the Jewish population of Bershad was 4,500, out of a total population of 7,000. The Jewish artisans numbered about 500. The community possessed one synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
and six houses of prayer. In June, 1648, during the uprising of the Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s under Chmielnicky (Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky was a hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . He led an uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state...
), the most bloodthirsty of his leaders—Maksim Krivonos—conquered Bershad and slew all the Jews and Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s . S. A. Bershadski, the celebrated historian of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, descended from a Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
family at Bershad, where his great-grandfather officiated as a Greek Orthodox priest (Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
).
Bershad was famous in the middle of the nineteenth century for its Jewish weavers of the tallit
Tallit
A tallit pl. tallitot is a Jewish prayer shawl. The tallit is worn over the outer clothes during the morning prayers on weekdays, Shabbat and holidays...
(ritual shawl word at prayers). But at the end of the century the demand decreased, and the industry declined, leading many of the weavers to emigrate to America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
.
In 1941, the Romanian forces transformed this city into a ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
, where thousands of Jews were starved to death, including Bessarabian Hebrew writer and Yiddish poet Mordechai Goldenberg. Many of the victims were brought in from Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
.