Dobromyl, Ukraine

The big synagogue was built in the Gothic style.
Alongside the big synagogue stood the small
synagogue of the tailors.

In the mid-1700s, Dobromyl had 1,253 Jews.
In 1900, there were 1,845 Jews (out of a total population
of 3,309).

In 1910, there were 2,270 Jews in Dobromyl, 70% of the population.
After WWI broke out (1914), the Russian
army occupied Dobromyl on Rosh Hashanah 5675.
 In March 1915, while the battle for the fortress Pzemysl raged, all
 the Jews were expelled to Sambor. When nearby
Przemysl was occupied by the Russians, the Jews were allowed to
return to their homes.

After the war (1918), Dobromyl became part of Poland
and in 1921 there were 2,120 Jews in the town.
The total population was 3,431. 

During the period of the Polish kingdom, the Jews
engaged in commerce and crafts. Some were in the
export-import business, especially with Hungary.
The Jews established an iron foundry, factories for the
manufacture of soap and matches and many small workshops.
These workshops
produced mainly textiles. 

On the eve of WWII, there were 2,500 Jews in Dobromyl.
 In September 1939, several days after the outbreak of
WWII, Dobromyl was occupied by the Germans.

On September 17,it  came under Soviet rule in
accordance with the German-Soviet pact. The Soviet administration
harassed the wealthy Jews and the
Zionist leadership. Jewish shops were nationalized and
factories and homes confiscated. All the Jewish
institutions were closed down. 650 refugees came to Dobromyl
 from the German zone. The community
operated a public kitchen and helped them with
 clothes and money.

On June 28, 1941, a week after the German invasion
 of the Soviet Union, the German army occupied
Dobromyl.  The Ukrainians were given a free hand
 to molest the Jews. They attacked Jews, burst into
their homes and looted their property. The big
synagogue,
 all the study-houses and the prayer-house of the
Belz Hasidim were set on fire. The Germans and the
 Ukrainian police hunted down Jewish men. 

On August 8, 1944,Dobromyl was liberated by the
Red Army. Only 25 Jews of the community of Dobromyl survived.

Read more about Dobromyl's Jewish history here:

Beit Hatsufot history of Dobromyl

Virtual Shtetl history of Dobromyl

Description of prison and salt mine genocides in Dobromyl

Genealogical Resources

There are three significant sources of vital records and other documents for Dobromyl:  JRI-Poland Indexing, JewishGen and Gesher Galicia.

The JRI-Poland webpage provides information on what vital records exist  and where they may be found.

The JewishGen page on Dobromyl provides maps and other important links.

Gesher Galicia's page on Dobromyl has cadastral maps, search
functions for family records, and other important resources.

Street map and index of Dobromyl

Cadastral maps of Dobromyl

 

A well-known name in Jewish genealogy is Arthur Kurzweil. One of the first contemporary books on on Jewish genealogical investigation is Kurzweil�s  From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Personal History,  which beings with the discovery of his great-grandfather�s picture in the Yizkor memorial volume of the town of Dobromyl, Poland�down through every stage of his laborious past-seeking quest. He traces his father back through the 18th century, his mother �back through some of the most illustrious rabbis of the past several centuries  to the Middle Ages.�  Readers will find information on Dobromyl  helpful, including names of landsmanschaften, libraries, archives, and cemeteries.  

Recently, Kurzweil has worked on a project to help Dobromyl children get a playground,  and he has authored more books (one on Dobromyl recipes) related to genealogy.

Books about Dobromyl

 

 

Pictures of Dobromyl:

http://www.cs.unca.edu/~boyd/touring/tour06/day50/index.html

1903 Dobromyl



Videos of Dobromyl:

Life in a Galician Shtetl

Dobromil:  2010-2015



Dobromyl's Jewish Cemetery:

https://www.esjf-surveys.org/surveys-in-ukraine/object/dobromil-jewish-cemetery/?
 

Affiliated Synagogue:
Name: First Dobromiler Kranken Unterstzungs Verein
Address: 92 Columbia Street, New York, NY 10002
Borough: Manhattan
 

Burial Societies for Dobromyl
Mount Hebron Cemetery, Flushing, New York
(list of names available)