Budzanów, Poland

Members of the Boys were born in Budzanów, Poland, now Budaniv, Ukraine.

The Boys were teenage and child-Holocaust survivors, who were brought to the UK after the war for rest and rehabilitation.

Members of the Boys were held in Nazi labour and concentration camps and used as slave labourers. They had also survived World War II in hiding or as lone children.

Photograph of Buzanow before World War Two.

Background

Budzanów, founded in 1549, was known for its significant Jewish population, constituting around 40% of the total. It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until World War I. Many Jews left for the Unites States and other countries at the end of the 19th century.

In the interwar years it was part of Poland. Jews were active in political life and there was a significant Zionist movement.

About 1,200 Jews lived in the town in 1921.

World War II

The Red Army occupied Budzanów on 17 September 1939. The Germans then captured the town on 2 July 1941.

In November 1942 all the Jews of Budzanów were taken to the Trembowla Ghetto. The Jewish community of Budzanów was systematically deported to the Bełżec extermination camp in November 1942.

Aftermath

Only 18 Jewish residents of Budzanów remained alive when the town was liberated by the Russians on 23 March 1944.

Visiting Budzanów
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Getting there The closest railway station is in Ternopil.

Note that the UK Foreign Office advises against travel to Ukraine because of the ongoing Russian invasion.

What to see

Synagogue (4 Mickiewicz St) An imposing, now abandoned building at 4 Mickiewicz St.
Old Jewish Cemetery Located near the Budaniv castle, it is significantly destroyed, with only a few upright tombstones remaining.
New Jewish Cemetery Established by the 19th century, it contains approximately 30 gravestones and was recently fenced by the ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative to prevent further degradation.
Stepan Derevianko Monument A unique memorial to a local Ukrainian police chief who was killed by the Nazis for attempting to protect the town’s Jewish community in 1941.

Budaniv, Synagogue

Present day Country:
Ukraine
Pre 1939:
Poland
1945-1991:
USSR
Associated Boys:
Arie Czeret
Map:
Contact:
team@45aid.org
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in England and Wales (243909)
Design and development:
Graphical