On February 15-16, 1919, the small town of Proskuriv in Podillia was shaken by a terrible pogrom that claimed the lives of at least 1,600 of our fellow countrymen, and not only of Jewish nationality. The Jewish pogrom was called the "Bloody Bath" and its echoes are felt even now on many continents, as many Jews whose families suffered in those days emigrated for fear of new pogroms. For 97 years, community members and employees of the Hesed Besht Foundation have gathered at the memorial to the victims of the pogrom to pay tribute to the dead.
Historical information about the pogrom can be found at the following links:
Proskurovsky Pogrom 1919: from the Book of Pogroms (collection of documents). Khmelnytskyi portal
On this day, men and women came to the memorial, brought stones and candles to testify to the eternal memory of the former Proskuriv residents. There was mournful music and everyone who wanted to spoke spoke. The men read a memorial prayer. The books "Before the Gates of Eternity" and "The Gates of Prayer", published by our Foundation (links to electronic versions of books).
The memorial is maintained in good condition by the local community. From 1925 to the present, this monument has existed thanks to the initiatives of community representatives, activists, and philanthropists.
After praying at the memorial, the participants of the gathering moved to the old Jewish cemetery, and now the open-air memorial complex "Light of the Soul". Recently, fragments of matzevs of varying degrees of preservation from all over the Khmelnytskyi region were installed here. Now this place has attracted the attention of many researchers of Judaica and history, and discussions are underway about the interpretation of the motifs of the stone carvings and the translations of the texts.
The last place of visit of the day was the old Ukrainian cemetery next to the Jewish one. Righteous Klimenty Kachurovsky is buried here - protodeacon, cleric of the Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Cathedral in Proskurov, who died during the pogrom while trying to save Jews from angry bandits. At his grave, which was put in order by joint efforts the year before last, the participants of the gathering also held a memorial prayer, as a sign of memory and respect for the man who gave his own life for the lives of others.
