Story Summary:
The Erste Samborer KUV society was founded in New York in 1884 by immigrants hailing from Sambor, Ukraine. The society was dissolved in 1975. Jews were first mentioned in Sambor in the 1440's but were officially granted permission to reside in Sambor in 1724. The Jews of Sambor maintained their livings working as craftsmen, in agriculture, and industries. Various educational, religious, and Zionist organizations were founded in Sambor, speaking to the rich intellectual and cultural attitude of Sambor's Jews. Sambor's Jewish community perished in the Holocaust following German (re)occupation in June of 1941. Their presence is preserved in the city's Jewish cemetery. Their memories continue to live on. ~ Blog by Olivia Scanlon
Erste Samborer KUV
The Erste Samborer KUV society was founded in New York in 1884 by immigrants hailing from Sambor, Ukraine. The society was dissolved in 1975. Jews were first mentioned in Sambor in the 1440s. They were granted permission to reside in Sambor in 1519, however due to complaints regarding competition within trade, this privilege was removed, and they were only permitted to enter during fairs. In 1724, they were granted permission to return to Sambor.
By the second half of the 18th century, the Jews of Sambor were considered to be a community that was holding their own. In 1763, they were given permission to build a synagogue, and by the 19th century they established a cemetery. By 1917, there were about 7000 Jews in Sambor, with many making their livings from commerce, various industries, as craftsmen, and in agriculture. In 1918, a Talmud Torah was founded by Rabbi Aharon Levin during the First World War. In 1921, a Hebrew school was founded by Dr. Fishel Rothenstreich. The early 20th century also brought various Zionist movements, including the General Zionist Party, the Hamizrachi and the Zionist Labor Party. In addition, a number of youth movements began, such as the Hashomer Ha’zair and the Gordonia.
The Germans (Wehrmacht) entered Sambor in September of 1939 on Rosh Hashanah. About 40 were killed before they retreated on September 20th due to Soviet occupation. They re-entered on June 30th 1941 after the Soviets retreated. The first mass action took place on August 4-6th, 1942, where about 4000 were transported to the Belzitz concentration camp. There was a second mass action from October 17th-18th, 1942 where another 2000 were transported to Belzitz. In September of the same year, the ghetto was created. The Germans began its liquidation on June 9th, 1943.
https://archives.cjh.org/repositories/7/resources/21793
https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/sambor/sambor.html
https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/sambor/sami.html
https://www.esjf-cemeteries.org/survey/staryy-sambir-jewish-cemetery/
https://archives.cjh.org/subjects/100444
http://www.jewishheritage.org.ua/en/1912/sambir.html
https://cja.huji.ac.il/hmm/browser.php?mode=set&id=47256
https://myshtetl.org/lvovskaja/sambir_en.html
~Blog by Olivia Scanlon
