Ustyluh

Volodymyr district, Volyn region

Volynia region - list of settlements and location of objects

Ustyluh, 2024

Sources:
- 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;
- A.Kruglov / Holocaust in the USSR: Encyclopedia / Scientific and Educational Center "Holocaust"; ch. editor Ilya Altman. - Moscow: Rosspen, 2011 - 1143 p.
- European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative. Ustyluh Jewish Cemetery;
- Mirkaz Moreshet. Uscilug;
- Uriel Gellman. The Great Wedding in Uściług: The Making of a Myth

Photo:
- David Shay, Wikipedia. Ustyluh holocaust memorial
- YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Uscilug

The first mention of settlement of Ustyluh dates to 1150. Until the Russian Revolution of 1917, it was a settlement in Vladimir-Volynsky Uyezd of Volhynian Governorate of the Russian Empire; from 1921 to 1939 it was part of Wołyń Voivodeship of Poland. It has been a town since 1940.

In 1847, 1487 Jews lived in Ustyluh,
in 1897 - 3212 (89,5%),
In 1921 - 2723 Jews.

The first mention of the Jewish population of Ustyluh dates back to the 17th century. During the 18th and 19th century, Ustyluh became an important Hasidic centre.

In the Hasidic world, it is famous for the so-called “Wedding at Ustila” - in 1813 (or in 1821) in the town was a big wedding of the grandson of Rebe Avraham Yehoshua Heshel from Apta (Opatow), which is considered the largest Hasidic wedding in history. After the wedding, some 200 Hasidic leaders gathered to debate whether the Przysucha school of Hasidism deviated from the general movement. However, the researcher Uriel Gellman considers this a myth.

In the mid-19th century, there were 12 Hasidic synagogues in the town.

On June 23, 1941, the town was occupied by Nazi troops. In July, 30 Jews were killed because of collaboration with Soviet authorities.

A ghetto was created in March 1942 and liquidated within half a year.
At the beginning of September 1942, 1,847 Ustyluh Jews were transferred to the Lydmir (Vladimir) ghetto and killed there with local Jews.

After WWII, there was no Jewish community.

Ustyluh in the 1913 directory. It can be seen that all shops in the town belonged to Jews

Ustyluh Holocaust memorial at Holon Cemetery, Israel

In 1913, Jews owned only tavern, all 3 wood warehouses, all 42 shops (including 15 grocery, 11 manufactory).

During WWI, most Jews left the town following the retreat of the Russian Army. Some moved to Volodymyr-Volyns’kyy, but came back when Austrian authorities took over.

The military government restricted the movement of Jewish merchants, leading to tough economic times for local Jews. Nevertheless, a Jewish school with German and Hebrew instruction was opened, as well as a Jewish drama club and two Hebrew and Yiddish libraries.

In 1918, Austro-Hungarian troops began to retreat from the town, and young Jews organized a local militia to maintain order. When a group of Polish legionnaires entered the town, Jewish militias opened fire on them, thinking that it was a gang of rebels, and 14 Jews fell in a short battle. The next day, a detachment of the Polish army arrived and imposed a financial fine on the Jewish community of Ustyluh.

In 1921, 2,723 Jews lived in Ustyluh. In the interwar period, two Jewish banks and both Tarbut and Yavne schools were functional.
Politically, most of the Zionist parties functioned in the town.

In 1932-1937, the Pinhas Tverski was elected by the rabbi of the community, after him the rabbi became Iehoshua Sheyntop (both died during the Holocaust).

By mid-1941, the Jewish population had reached more than 3,200 people.

Uscilug. A gathering around Rosh Hashanah at the Lug River, for the observance of the tashlich ritual, 1920s-1930s