Remember Jewish Rawa Ruska (Rava Ruska)

Pronunciation: Rava-Rooska

HISTORY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

Rawa Ruska was established in the 15th century. Around 1643, Jews owned at least 25 houses in the community. They were engaged in trade, innkeeping, furriery, hat-making, carpentry. In the late 1800s, a Warsaw-Lwow railway was built and trains regularly stopped in Rawa Ruska. This increased the population of the community. By 1884, 234 houses in the city belonged to Jews.

Rabbi Naftali Hertz, the son of Rabbi Moses from Brody, lived in Rawa Ruska between 1735 and 1742. His successor was a rabbi Yechiel Mordechai Altschulter. Together with his father, David of Prague, he wrote popular commentaries on Latter Prophets: “Mecudat Dawid” and “Mecudat Syjon”. Rabbi Yitzhak Shimon was rabbi during the years 1785-1790. Rabbi Shlomo Kluger, the Magid of Brody, and Rabbi Zacharia, one of the disciples of the Seer of Lublin, also lived in Rawa Ruska. Rabbi Levi Itzhak Shor, author of Ateret Tiferet, was the Rawa Ruska rabbi until his death in 1877. Rabbi Dov Berish HaKohen Rappaport succeeded him. Rabbi Dov Berish was famous because of his book Merchaot Derech HaMelech about the Rambam. When he died in 1907, his grandson, Rabbi Joseph Haim, succeeded him.

In Rawa, there were also Jewish enlightenment supporters. One of the well-known local maskils was Icchak Herter, a famous writer of Haskalah. He worked as a doctor during cholera epidemic in 1831. Rabbi Abraham Goldberg, a student of famous maskil Nachman Krochmal, lived in Rawa Ruska. His published work, “Masar Cafon Im Maase Rokeach” was a satire piece about the Chasidic dynasty from Belz.

Herz Homberg opened a school for Jewish children in 1788. In 1892, a Jewish school was opened in Rava-Ruska, established by Baron Hirsch. It had 200 pupils in 1898. In 1900, the school gained government accreditation. In 1902, the school moved to its own building and existed until the First World War. The school had 60 pupils enrolled.

Herszel Monk established oil refinery. The technology in the refinery was advanced and the oil it produced was kosher. Its products were popular all over Galicia. Dr. Josef Mendel from L’viv, a prominent Zionist in the community, helped found a Jewish cooperative bank in Rawa Ruska.

In 1880, Rawa Ruska had 6,468 inhabitants and 3,905 of them were Jews. In 1908, a group of Jewish workers established a branch of the Jewish Socialist Party, Z.P.S. The first Zionist organization, Hatikva, was established in 1910. Before the war, Chasidism from Belz dominated the politics of Rawa Ruska. After World War I, there were more and more socialists, Zionists and Aguda party supporters.

Zionism became the dominant party. In 1924, branches of Hitachdut and Mizrachi parties were established. At the end of the war, the Zionists created a branch of youth organization Hashomer. In the first elections after World War I, there were 22 Jews, 20 Poles and 6 Ukrainians in the city council. In the elections in 1933, Jews took 24 places.

In 1925, Ha-Noar Zionist-Achwa was established, and in 1930 Betar and Akiwa came into being. Gordonia was established in 1925 and became a powerful youth organization. Ha-Szomer Hotzair started to operate in 1937. At the beginning of the 1930s, in the vicinity of Rawa there were training farms of Ha-Noar ha-Zionist organization. All these organizations were opposed to the Chasids from Belz.

In 1931, there were 11,146 inhabitants in Rawa Ruska and 5,658 of them were Jews.

NEARBY JEWISH COMMUNITIES

In Rawa Ruska County, there were 10,325 Jews in 1931.

RAWA RUSKA DURING THE HOLOCAUST

On the eve day of German invasion on USSR, there were 7120 Jewish inhabitants in Rawa Ruska. The Germans captured the town on 22 June 1941. In July 1941, Ukrainian nationalists murdered around 100 Jews in the Wolkowic forest. Under German occupation, the Jews were not allowed to leave the town, they were directed to forced labour. Occupation authorities formed Judenrat for the town and another one for district. The latter one controlled the ones from nearby towns. Extermination of Jews started in March 1942. On March 1942, about 1000 people were transported (other sources say about 1500) to nearby German Nazi death camp in Bełżec (22 km away from Rawa Ruska). In May 1942, Jews from nearby area were brought to Rawa Ruska. The number of Jews in the town increased to about 6700 people. At the end of July 1942, the second extermination took place. It was carried out by German 133th police battalion, local military police and Ukrainian support police. They transported about 1200 Jews from Rawa Ruska o death camp in Bełżec, and together with them the inhabitants of Magierow, Niemirow and Uhnow. In August 1942, a ghetto was created. In September and October, the Germans resettled to Rawa Jews from Lubycza Królewska, Magierow, Niemirow, Potylicz and Uhnow. Overall, there were around 8000 people in Rawa's ghetto. Overpopulation was the reason for the outbreak of an epidemic. From 7th until 11th of December 1942, there the liquidation of ghetto took place. It was carried out by Security Service from Sokal, 324 police regiment, local German military police and Ukrainian support police. At the spot, 5000 people were shot, 2500 were transported to Bełżec, several hundreds were placed in a labour camp (they sorted Jewish belongings that were left in the ghetto). About 250-300 people were hiding at the territory of former ghetto. Jewish "legal" workers delivered them food. On 1 May 1942, some prisoners of liquidated labour camp in Mosty Wielkie were resettled to Rawa Ruska. In June 1943, the labour camp in Rawa Ruska was liquidated. From 8th until 10th of June 1943, some1500 people were executed in the forest nearby Borowe village.

WHAT REMAINS

The Jewish cemetery in Rawa Ruska is located in the western part of the town, north of the road leading to the village of Borowe. The location of the cemetery is marked on a map published in 1935 by the Military Geographical Institute. During World War II, the necropolis was destroyed. Victims of the Holocaust were buried within its grounds. To this day, at least several dozen matzevot remain preserved at the cemetery, piled in heaps. The cemetery plot is unfenced and neglected.

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[Yizkor Book]

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