Bershad Бершадь | |
|---|---|
 Moszyński Chapel | |
 Flag .svg) Coat of arms | |
  Bershad  Bershad | |
| Coordinates:48°22′22″N29°31′57″E / 48.37278°N 29.53250°E /48.37278; 29.53250 | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast | Vinnytsia Oblast |
| Raion | Haisyn Raion |
| Hromada | Bershad urban hromada |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 11,742 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Bershad (Ukrainian:Бершадь,IPA:[ˈbɛrʃɐdʲ]ⓘ;Polish:Berszad) is a city inVinnytsia Oblast,Ukraine, located in the historic region ofPodolia. Until 2020 it was theadministrative center of the formerBershad Raion.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1459–1569
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1569–1672
Ottoman Empire 1672–1699
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1699–1793
Russian Empire 1793–1917
Ukrainian People's Republic 1917–1918, 1918–1920
Soviet Ukraine 1920–1922
Soviet Union 1922–1941
Kingdom of Romania 1941–1944
Soviet Union 1944–1991
The first extant mention of Bershad appears in 1459. It was aprivate town ofPoland, owned by the families ofZbaraski and Moszyński. PolishnoblemanPiotr Stanisław Moszyński built a palace complex in Bershad. The only remaining parts of the complex are the park and the chapel of the Moszyński and Jurjewicz families.
In 1648, during theKhmelnytsky Uprising under theCossacks,Maksym Kryvonis conquered Bershad and slew many of the Catholics and Jews there. BeforeWorld War II, the city had an importantJewish community.[2] Bershad was famous in the middle of the nineteenth century for its Jewish weavers of thetallit, a ritual shawl worn by Jews at prayer. By the end of the century, the demand decreased, and the industry declined, leading many weavers to emigrate to America. In 1900 the Jewish population of Bershad was 4,500, out of a total population of 7,000. The Jewish artisans numbered about 500. The community possessed synagogues and several houses of prayer. Onesynagogue survived World War II and was not closed duringSoviet times. It is still active. Many Jews worldwide bear a "Bershidsky/Bershadsky" surname referring to the town.
During World War II, Romanian forces allied with theNazi Germans transformed the Bershad area into aghetto as part of the Romanian-occupiedTransnistria Governorate. Many of the ghetto victims were Jews brought in fromBessarabia. Thousands of Jews were starved to death in the ghetto during theHolocaust, including the writer and poet Mordechai Goldenberg.[3][4]
Bershad is home to thefootball clubFC Nyva Bershad.
