also known as: Kispatak (HU), Ríčka (CZ), Rechka (RU), Ritshke (Yid)
48°35' N / 23°23' E
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Richka
was part of the Kingdom of Hungary (11th century - 1920 and 1938-1944) with the name of Kispatak
in Máramaros megye (county), next part of Czechoslovakia (1920-1938) with the name of Ríčka
in Podkarpatská Rus (Sub-Carpathia), then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1945-1991) with the name of Rechka
and, since 1991, known as Richka, in the Mizhhirskiy rayon (district) of Zakarpats'ka oblast (county) of Ukraine.
In Yiddish, Richka was known as Ritshke.
Other spellings/names for Richka are Ricska, Rokosiv and Rokossowo.
Richka is located about seven miles northwest of Mizhhirya (Ökörmező).
Jews probably settled in Richka in the early 19th century.
In 1830, the Jewish population was 37, and by 1880, the Jewish population was 92.
By 1921, during the Czechoslovakian period, the Jewish population rose to 135. A number of Jews were engaged in agriculture and commerce, with three grocery stores, five inns and two butcher shops.
With the Hungarian occupation of Richka in March, 1939, Jews were persecuted and pushed out of their occupations. In 1940-41, Jews from Richka were drafted into forced labor battalions and others were drafted for service on the Eastern front, where most died.
By 1941, the Jewish population had decreased to 127 (of a total population of 1,109). It was at this time, a few Jewish families without Hungarian citizenship were expelled to Nazi occupied Ukrainian territory, to Kamenets-Podolski, and murdered there.
The remaining Jews of Richka were deported to Auschwitz late May, 1944.
A great many of the Jews from Richka were murdered in Auschwitz and any survivors settled elsewhere.
In 2001, Richka had about 946 inhabitants and no Jews live there today.
Sources (portions): The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, (2001) p. 1076
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