Grebenki

Although Jews began living in Grebenki in the second half of the 18th century, their number was very small until the late 19th century. In 1882 Jews were officially banned from living in Grebenki. Even though the ban was lifted officially only in 1903, already in the late 19th century many Jews settled in the town. In 1897 551 Jews lived in Grebenki and in the adjacent Salivonki village (which became incorporated into Grebenki), constituting 13.7 percent of the combined population. Most of Grebenki's Jews were small-scale merchants or artisans. In 1905 there was a pogrom in Grebenki. The Jews of Grebenki suffered greatly from the violence of the years of revolution and civil war in Russia. Scores of Jews were murdered in the pogroms staged in 1918-1919 by the Ukrainian troops of Symon Petliura and by units of Anton Denikin’s White Army. Many Jews abandoned the town during this period, seeking protection in Belaya Tserkov. Only a small proportion of the Jews returned to Grebenki when the situation stabilized. During the early Soviet period many Jews continued to leave the town in search of educational and vocational opportunities in larger towns and cities. In 1939 the 84 Jews who remained in Grebenki constituted 1.7 percent of the town’s total population. Many of these Jews apparently managed to leave Grebenki before it was occupied by German troops on July 19, 1941. About 40 Jews who had remained in the town were murdered on the town’s outskirts in late August 1941. The Red Army first liberated Grebenki on November 10, 1943 but the Germans recaptured it the following day. The town was finally liberated by the Red Army on December 30, 1943.