Klevan


Klevan castle, 2009	Arch bridge	Klevan castle, 1910s

The town on Stubla River (for some time it was the Polish border that took this river), Klevan, according to historians, existed already in the 19th century, under the name Kolyvan. In written sources, it was first mentioned in 1458 as the property of Prince N. Chartoryyski. In the second half of the 15th century, Prince Fedor Chartoryyski erected the castle, surrounding it with a deep moat, which was filled with water, and strong stone walls.

In 1860 Chartoryyski sold their estates to the Russian king Alexander II.

By the 20th century, Klevan was a township of Volyn province with a population of 2600 inhabitants.

In 1921, Klevan was part of Poland, since 1939 - as part of the Ukrainian SSR.

In 1766, 973 Jews lived in Klevan and the surroundings,
In 1787, 152 Jews lived in Klevan,
in 1847 - 1187,
in 1897 - 2432 (65%),
In 1921 - 1545 Jews (47%).

The first mention of the Jews of Klevan dates back to 1563. Among the main affairs of local Jews, the trade in bread, honey, and craft products predominated.

After the Khmelnitchina, many Jews left the town.
In 1654, some of them returned.

On July 3, 1941, the Wehrmacht troops entered Klevan. On the second day of the occupation, a pogrom occurred, during which 50 Jews were burned in the synagogue and several hundred were shot.

Judenrat was created. On April 11, 1942, 30 Jews and 18 Poles were shot as hostages.
All the Jews remaining in the Klevan (about 1,500 people) were shot on May 15, 1942 in the forest, 1 km from the village.

A group of Jews from Klevan, led by Joseph Garenstein, Zusya Khaychik and Abram Cooper, fought with the Nazis for 3 months, then joined the partisan compound of Kovpak.

Today, Jews do not live in the former township.


Jewish cemetery in Klevan, 2015

The main tourist attraction of the village is a widely known "Tunnel of Love" that attracts hundreds of tourists annually. Its length is about 4 km, and a small industrial train walks along the tunnel several times a day.


Panoramas of the castle


Synagogue in Klevan, 1939	Polish (narthex) of the synagogue in Klevan, 1920s	Children in front of the synagogue, fragment of the photo

Synagogue in Klevan, 1948	Klevan, the ruins of the rebuilding synagogue, 2011	Memorial board on the wall of the former synagogue, 2011

Synagogue interior	Aron Kodesh and Bima	Old man with children in the synagogue

Rivne region

In 1865, there were already 2 synagogues in Klevan. Until 1870, the rabbi of Klevan was Josef Lerner, from 1883 - Avrom Moishe Steinman.

In 1889, there was a Jewish almshouse in Klevan, a pharmacy belonging to the pharmacist Ponel.
At the end of the 19th century a circle of “Khovevei Zion” arose in Klevan.
In 1905, the Bund and Zionist parties began to operate in the town.

In 1910, a private male Jewish school worked in Klevan, in 1913 - a Jewish hospital.

In 1914, Jews owned 3 pharmacies, ateliers, kerosene warehouse, a bookstore, a water mill, an inn, 2 taverns, 88 shops (including 41 grocery, all 12 manufactory). The only dentist in Klewan was a Jew.


Houses in Klevan, 1920s - 1930s	Houses in Klevan, 1920s - 1930s	Street in Klevan, 1920s - 1930s

Founded in 1902 in the United States, the Society of mutual assistance of immigrants from Klevan provided assistance to the Jews of the town after the end of the 1st World War.

In May 1919, a pogrom occurred in Klenan, arranged by the Bogun regiment of the Red Army. In the same year, the Jewish pogrom arranged units of the Polish army.

In 1924, a kindergarten and a school with teaching in Hebrew were opened in Klevan.

In the 1920-30s there were branches of various Jewish parties and organizations.

Sources:
- Russian Jewish encyclopedia. Translated from Russian by Eugene Snaider
- Jewish encyclopedia of Brockhaus & Efron
- The All South-Western Territory: reference and address book of the Kyiv, Podolsk and Volyn provinces. Printing house L.M. Fish and P.E. Wolfson, 1913

Photo:
- Eugene Shnaider;
- Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk. Klewan
- Biblioteka Narodowa Polona. Klewan
- Sergey Kravtsov, The Center for Jewish Art. Great Synagogue in Klevan
- Ukrainian architectural monuments. Klevan
- Ukrainian State Scientific Architectural and Construction Library named after V.Zabolotny

Klevan in the 1913 reference book

Rivne region - list of settlements and location of objects

Klevan, 2009, 2015