A view from the bottom of the old cemetery, taken by Ihor Zalypko
in late September.
Jay and I heard this week through our colleague Vasyl Yuzyshyn that the two local men in Rohatyn who manage the clearing and maintenance for us at the Jewish burial sites in Rohatyn have finished their work. 2026 marks our tenth year of regular seasonal care of these four historic sites!
A long view at the south mass grave site, taken by Ihor Zalypko
in late September.
This year, as in the four prior years, the clearing work was fully managed and documented for us on behalf of Jewish descendants by two men who live and work in Rohatyn: Rohatyn’s “old” Jewish cemetery, the south mass grave and memorial site, and the vodokanal north mass grave memorial, each received three complete clearings thanks to Ihor Zalypko (Ігор Залипко); the “new” Jewish cemetery also received three complete clearings thanks to cemetery neighbor Vasyl Yurkiv (Василь Юрків) and his son Artur.
A panorama of the new Jewish cemetery in Rohatyn taken by Vasyl Yurkiv after his clearing in late June.
In June this year, Jay and I met with Ihor and Vasyl in Rohatyn to walk the sites and discuss the seasonal care. As mentioned, both men have been working for Rohatyn Jewish Heritage for several years, and we continue to be very pleased with the quality of their work and their attention to issues on our behalf. Both men indicated their willingness to continue these arrangements for next year, health and the war permitting. During our meetings, we paid both men in advance for 2027.
The monument base in the old cemetery in June this year, before the repair.
In addition to cemetery care and mass grave maintenance, we are pleased to report that professional repairs were made to two aging Jewish memorial monuments. The first is at the “old” Jewish cemetery, a project organized and managed by our Lviv attorney and RJH team member Wito Nadaszkiewicz. This memorial monument was installed by survivors and their families in the late 1990s in coordination with the city of Rohatyn and local leaders. The base of this monument has been visibly deteriorating and crumbling, becoming especially vulnerable the last few years due to the freezing cycles of the cold wet winters and hot humid summers. The repair work was performed by a stone mason and building contractor from Lviv, a referral from a commercial client of Wito’s law firm; photos of the before and after condition are shown here.
Two views of the monument after the repair to the base.
Before and after photos of the old cemetery wall repair taken by Ihor Zalypko in September and October of this year.
The second repair was a concrete filling and sealing task by Ihor Zalypko to the base block of the Soviet-era memorial monument near the WWII mass grave south of Rohatyn’s city center. In addition to the mass grave monument repair, at Rohatyn’s “old” Jewish cemetery Ihor also filled and sealed the top of the concrete retaining wall adjacent to the main cemetery entrance, as shown in the adjacent photos. Ihor may also take up some other small repairs at the burial sites later this year or next year, depending on the weather and his available time.
Reviewing the condition of the monument at the north mass grave site following the commemoration event in June.
Other photos in this article include a few from our June visit to Rohatyn accompanied by Wito and friends from Ternopil and Zbarazh, walking the burial sites and meeting with Ihor and Vasyl, giving other views of the condition of the grounds at the Jewish burial sites.
Jay discussing future work at the new cemetery with Vasyl and Artur in June.
Regrettably, the Russian war on Ukraine has now lasted more than four and a half years, persistently draining resources and manpower across the country, including in Rohatyn. We remain very grateful to all our team members, including Vasyl Yuzyshyn, who often serves as our liaison with Rohatyn residents such as Ihor and Vasyl, and is always available to assist, advise, and support.
Ihor explaining the plan for repair to the old cemetery retaining wall to Wito in June.
Walking the grounds of the south mass grave site in June: Ihor, Jay, and Wito.
Except where noted, all images on this page are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license by authors Marla Raucher Osborn and Jay Osborn of Rohatyn Jewish Heritage.