Stary Zhivotov

A Jewish presence in Stary Zhivotov was mentioned for the first time in 1630. In 1648 mosty of Stary Zhivotov's Jews were slaughtered by the Cossacks of Bogdan Chmielnitsky. In the second half of the 17th century Jews started to resettle in Stary Zhivotov but, once again, in the second half of the 18th century, the local Jewish community was wiped out almost completely, in the course of the Haidamak uprising. Several decades again passed before Jewish life in Stary Zhivotov was revived. In 1897 1,935 Jews lived in the town, comprising 51.8 percent of the total population. The Jews of Stary Zhivotov suffered greatly during the revolutionary years and the civil war in Russia. 17 of them lost their lives in pogroms between 1917-1919. Many Jews left the town in search of protection in places considered to be more secure. Most of them did not return to Stary Zhivotov even after the situation had settled down. 405 Jews lived in Stary Zhivotov in 1926, when they comprised 15.9 percent of the total population. In the 1930s the Jewish population of Stary Zhivotov continued to decline, as the majority of younger people left for larger cities in search of educational and vocational opportunities. Stary Zhivotov was occupied by German forces in late July of 1941. In May 1942 18 Jews still living in the town were shot in the vicinity of Stary Zhivotov. Stary Zhivotov was liberated by the Red Army in early January 1944.