Gorodok (Vitebsk Oblast)

(55°28' 30°00')

Single grave marking a suicide set apart from rest of cemetery General view of cemetery towards most recent plots

View up hill towards modern part At the top

Grave of Abram Arshansky (1922) Grave of S.D. Spektorov (1939)

Checking dates Avraham son of Michel 1871 General view up-hill

Oldest part on the left Modern graves at top of the hill

Grave of Mendel Elievitch Chagall 1976 Oldest part, many graves close together under the grass

The site is important because it is still in use and well looked after by a the remaining small Jewish community, and is respected by leaders of the local non Jewish community. This Jewish community has also documented and preserves information on 2 holocaust sites of 1941 (one of males and one of females and children) in the forests nearby which hold Jewish victims from Gorodok. A local publication we have available lists all these holocaust burials, which include a male and female member of the Spektorov family.

Taken together the 3 sites are an important and potentially quite complete record of the burials of a Jewish shtetl community, in the Vitebsk region of Belarus, and they are an important way of recording the impact of the holocaust.

There are members of the Chagall family buried here, and we have a good photo of one Chagall gravestone. T

The Bedeman (Bederov) family

Trevor and Mike’s grandfathers were both brothers, Gershon (Harry) and Zalman (Sol) Bedeman (Bederov), and left Gorodok with their family for London at the ages of 8 and 10 in 1902.

It is likely that there are Bederov Graves for the end of the nineteenth century and earlier, for example of Yitzchak ben Menashe Bederov Halevi, the father of Menashe ben Yitzchak Bederov Halevi (Bedeman), who emigrated with his family including Gershon and Zalman. Menashe’s brother was left behind, and moved with his family to Vitebsk. Yitzchak’s father Menashe is also likely buried at the Gorodok cemetery earlier in the nineteenth century. We did not find any during this visit. It is not likely there are 20th century Bederov graves

We did find a gravestone for S.D. Spektorov 1939; they are a related family. There are two Spektorov victims in the male and female holocaust sites respectively.

The Importance of the Cemetery

It was said when we visited that there had been some damage to headstones (which is evident) and some plundering of individual stones for other uses (which is not evident on the plan, and if so looks likely to have affected the 1900 - 1920s section the most). The cemetery has the main boundaries well marked by a concrete and wire fence.

The stones, especially the older ones, are predominantly granite. Apart from common damage to the top sections, they are in fair condition when excavated, and the inscriptions are commonly readable.

The plan shows the dates we were able to read, together with some estimates on the dimensions of the cemetery.

The early part especially has been highly organised, with graves in close packed regular rows across the whole space. The date estimates we made show a regular pattern of increase throughout the nineteenth century.

The very brief survey shown on the plan means that very approximate estimates of the number of gravestones representing burials can be made. Another visit would give much better estimates, and these were made very briefly.

1 I estimate that there are between 5 and 8,000 graves in the cemetery as a whole. This estimate is derived from calculating the density of graves in each section, and is documented on the plan. In the same way, the distribution between the two parts of the cemetery would be say 4-6,000 old part 1-2,000 new part.

2 The size can also be estimated by assuming an average Jewish population in Gorodok of 2000 say 1740 - 1940. If there were 4 cohorts, each living to 50 years of age on average, then there would also be 8,000 graves.

3 If the old cemetery is 150m by 100m, that is 15000 sq m, and the space for each grave is 3 sq m, then this section would contain 5,000 graves.

The regular pattern of increase of gravestones implies that the (unexcavated) start date of the cemetery is between 1750 and 1700. 1700 is quoted on Arkady Shulman’s website above.

The size and date of the cemetery

My plan shows that the cemetery is extensive, and in two sections, the original section dating to 1890s, and a new one, in use up to the present. Overall dimensions are approximately 200m by 150m, and the site is roughly rectangular.

THE JEWISH CEMETERY AND HOLOCAUST SITES AT GORODOK, VITEBSK REGION, BELARUS

V2.0 1 9 09

These are notes from a visit by Trevor Bedeman and Professor Mike Glazer to the cemetery on 9 July 2009, together with Mark Krivichkin and his daughter Zlata, both residents of Gorodok, in the Vitebsk region of Belarus. As the Head of the Jewish Community, Mark has led the efforts to preserve the cemetery, and keep it in reasonable condition.

These notes accompany a scan of a plan made on site.

The story of the cemetery is well documented in the web site by Arkady Shulman