Stary Krym

In the 9th century a Jewish community existed in this location, when the settlement was called Fullakh. From the 16th century Karaite and Krymchak Jewish communities existed in the town, which had a kenassa (Karaite synagogue) and a Karaite cemetery. The Jews of the town were mainly petty artisans or craftsmen. At the turn of the 19th century a limited number of Jews from the western parts of the Russian Empire were allowed to settle in Staryi Krym. In 1939 the town's Jewish population was 104 (out of a total of 5,143 inhabitants). On the eve of the German occupation, 60 Jews managed to leave the town and another 20 left the surrounding area. The town was occupied by the Germans on November 2, 1941 and shortly afterwards the Jews were ordered to register and to wear white armbands on their sleeves. According to testimonies and Soviet documents, between December 1941 and February 1942 more than 100 Ashkenazi and Krymchak Jews from Staryi Krym and its environs were shot to death on the outskirts of the town. Staryi Krym was liberated by the Red Army on April 13, 1944.