Visiting the Stavisht of Today
Stavisht is no longer the village of our ancestors. The botanical garden is gone, as is the main boulevard, the mill, and the Branicki estate described in the Yizkor Book. Today, Stavisht, is located off a major Kyiv to Odessa thoroughfare and serves as the administrative center of the Stavyshchensky district within the Kyiv region. Outside of town is a large poultry factory run by Ovostar Union, a leading European egg producer. Stavisht boasts a regional museum, a district library, and district artists who create decorative embroidery pieces. In 2018, the population was 6,496.
With
ever changing technology, we can now visit Stavisht wherever we may be
located! So, settle in and take a 25-minute tour of Stavisht through
YouTube! Highlights include the Museum (1:40), the park (7:20), the
Branicki Hospital (14:00), Rozkishna School (16:45) and the Antonovka
Church built in 1777 (19:30). The video, accessible by clicking on the
image to the right, is narrated in Ukrainian. A second video will drive
you through old
Stavisht on the way to Bila Tserkva, passing by the area where
Jewish residents lived off the main street (:10 - 1:40). Winters are
harsh in Stavisht and this third video takes you through town after a winter
storm in January 2019!
The
town uses an official coat of arms, seen to the left. The emblem is
draped in a ribbon of yellow and blue incorporating the colors of the
Ukrainian flag. Standing tall in the center is a Cossack fortress
representing the area's 16th century history. Running below the
fortress is the river Гнилий Тікич (Hnylyi Tikych). The white flowers
at the top of the shield symbolize the lyrical soul of the population
while the wheat stalks and leaves of linden and oak, on the sides,
emphasize the region's agricultural and natural environments.
Viktor Khimenko maintains an updated website on Stavisht and the
Stavyschensky region. Clicking on the button image, to the right, will
open the site; you will need to select your browser's Translate
function to read in English. 
The site includes current and archival photos of Stavisht
and the surrounding area. The images can be accessed from the left
sidebar - select Photo Album (the camera image) to view the many
collections. Other recent photos of Stavisht may be found on this
Ukrainian photo sharing site.
Today the Jewish population in Ukraine is seeing a resurgence of community and activity. As of 2016, Ukrainian Jews represented the fourth largest Jewish population in Europe according to the World Jewish Congress. Many agencies are working to combat anti-semitism and assist elderly and impoverished Jews throughout the Ukraine. Visit the following websites for more information:
Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine
Federation of Jewish Communities in the Ukraine. Although there is no Jewish community in Stavisht today, there is an active community in nearby Bila Tzerkva. Search the site using the spelling "Belia Tzerkov."