Obj. ID: 11511
Jewish Architecture  Place of the synagogue in Verba, Ukraine

Note by Sergey Kravtsov, 5/10/2011, Verba

The old lady Luba, born in 1931, remembered the place where the synagogue stood. She told about a close valley, from where sand from construction was taken, and the synagogue stood high above that valley. Children used to go down the hill with their toboggans. Ghetto was organized around the synagogue during the war. The new church, under construction, is probably built in the area of ghetto.

Luba took us to the bushes in the middle of fields. It is Jewish cemetery. From time to time the local authorities organize collective cleaning of this area, but people intentionally throw dump around, in the night. Actually, two young men came with bikes to seek for recyclable metals in this dump. The customary burials consisted of a vertical stella and long horizontal hipped slab. The vertical stellas are all stolen for construction purposes. The horizontal parts remain, since it is difficult to dig them out. 

Luba remembers very well the Jewish neighbors, boys Itsko and Froiko. They survived in the forest, and she would like very much to see them again. She wanted very much to secure a toddler, Belochka, from the ghetto, but she could not. Luba’s daughter, Valentina, told about a Ukrainian family, who disclosed a Jewish shelter to the Nazis, and many Jews were killed on the spot. Every child born in that Ukrainian family was mentally sick (Valia showed with her mimics and gesture a twisted person), and some dyed young. This was their Divine punishment for their crime.

Ukrainians, Czechs, Poles, and Jews lived in Verba before the war.

A letter from Bitalii Razvozov, 14 April 2011, to SErgey Kravtsov:

Привет Сергей!
Сегодня 14.04.11 были на Ровенщине в с. Верба, к сожалению синагога была уничтожена после 1942г.,
когда начались гонения немцев на еврейский народ.
Нашли свидетеля, жителя Вербы 1933г. рождения. Крупский Павел Иванович. В детстве он это все
видел. Синагога была деревяной. После 1942 года она еще простояла до 1944 г.
Он и такие же дети лазили в помещении синагоги и таскали оттуда доски, наверно на дрова. Так и
разобрали помалу.
Я сделал фото места где стояло здание синагогы. Сейчас это улица Сковороды. № мог быть 24 или
23.
Высылаю фото места расположения синагоги и мужика - свидетеля. На фото место нахождение
синагоги заросло кустами.