also known as: Felsőveresmart (HU), Veľká Kopaňa (CZ), Velikaya Kopanya (RU)
48°11' N / 23°07' E
~ Introduction ~
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Velyka Kopanya
was part of the Kingdom of Hungary (11th century - 1920 and 1938-1944) with the name of Felsőveresmart
in Ugocsa megye (county), next part of Czechoslovakia (1920-1938) with the name of Veľká Kopaňa
in Podkarpatská Rus (Sub-Carpathia), then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1945-1991) with the name of Velikaya Kopanya
and, since 1991, known as Velyka Kopanya, in the Vynohradivskiy rayon (district) of Zakarpats'ka oblast (county) of Ukraine.
In Yiddish, Velyka Kopanya was known as Groys Kopanie.
Other spellings/names for Velyka Kopanya are Velika Kopana, Velike Kopany and Veresmart.
Velyka Kopanya is located about eight miles west of Khust (Huszt) and four miles east-northeast
of Vynohradiv (Nagyszőllős).
Jews probably settled in Velyka Kopanya in the mid-18th century.
Three families, comprising 16 people, were present in 1768.
In 1830, the Jewish population was 112, then by 1880, the Jewish population rose to 226 (of a total population of 1,292).
By 1921, during the Czechoslovakian period, the Jewish population rose to 273.
Then by 1941, the Jewish population increased to 314.
During this period, Jews were tradesmen (16), artisans (3), a few were farmers, a few engaged in the building trades and owned a flour mill. The Zionist organizations were also active.
With the Hungarian occupation of Velyka Kopanya in March, 1939, Jews were persecuted and pushed out of their occupations. In 1940-41, dozens of Jews from Velyka Kopanya were drafted into forced labor battalions and others were drafted for service on the Eastern front, where most died.
In 1941, a few Jewish families without Hungarian citizenship were expelled to Nazi occupied Ukrainian territory, to Kamenets-Podolski, and murdered there.
The remaining Jews of Velyka Kopanya, about 300, were deported to Auschwitz late May, 1944.
A great many of the Jews from Velyka Kopanya were murdered in Auschwitz and any survivors settled elsewhere.
In 2001, Velyka Kopanya had about 3,457 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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Leya ARONSON, Canada
M. Y. EHRENREICH, USA
Alik FRIEDMAN, Israel
Nikoli KATZ, USA
Debbi KORMAN, USA
Nevek-Klarsfeld
Amos Israel ZEZMER, France
and the following:
JewishGen members/descendants and
contributors of Velyka Kopanya Jewish families:
below for pronunciation. )
