also known as: Veléte (HU), Velatyn (CZ), Velyatyn (RU), Velatin (Yid)
48°07' N / 23°19' E
~ Introduction ~
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Velyatyn
was part of the Kingdom of Hungary (11th century - 1918 and 1938-1944) with the name of Veléte
in Máramaros megye (county), next part of Czechoslovakia (1918-1938) with the name of Velatyn
in Podkarpatská Rus (Sub-Carpathia), then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1945-1991) with the name of Velyatyn and, since 1991, known as Velyatyn, in the Khustskiy rayon (district) of Zakarpats'ka oblast (county) of Ukraine.
In Yiddish, Velyatyn was known as Velatin.
Other spellings/names for Velyatyn are Veľatín, Velyatina, Veljatyino, Velejte and Weljatyn.
Velyatyn is located about four miles southeast of Khust (Huszt).
Jews probably settled in Velyatyn at the turn of the 18th century.
In 1840, the jewish population was 45, and by 1880, the Jewish population was 267.
By 1921, during the Czechoslovakian period, the Jewish population rose to 414. A number of Jews were engaged in agriculture and commerce. Of the political groups, the most active were the Mizrachi, Hehalutz and Agudat Israel.
With the Hungarian occupation of Velyatyn in March, 1939, Jews were persecuted and pushed out of their occupations. In 1940-41, a few dozen Jews from Velyatyn 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 increased to 436 (of a total population of 3,670) and it was at this time, six Jewish families without Hungarian citizenship were expelled to Nazi occupied Ukrainian territory, to Kamenets-Podolski, and murdered there.
The remaining Jews of Velyatyn were deported to Auschwitz late May, 1944.
A great many of the Jews from Velyatyn were murdered in Auschwitz and any survivors settled elsewhere.
In 2001, Velyatyn had about 4,576 inhabitants and no Jews live there today.
Sources (portions): The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, (2001) p. 1380
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