Name:

other spellings: Krivitchi, Krivitch, Kryvitsh, Krevitsh, Kriwitz

The name derives from the Krivichi tribe, one of the tribal unions of Early East Slavs between the 6^th and the 12^th centuries. (Note: there are several other towns in modern Belarus with the same name. This one is in Minsk oblast, Myadzyel district.)

Location:

Latitude 54º71′02″N  •  Longitude 27º29′02″E
93 km (58 miles) NNW of Minsk

Maps:

Geopolitical Timeline:

Brief Overview:

In 1897, there were 457 Jews in Krivichi. During the 1920s, some Jewish organizations operated in the shtetl. There was a two-story synagogue located in the center of Krivichi and a Jewish cemetery which still remains today. The Jews were religious and observed the Sabbath. Jews spoke Yiddish at home, but at school they studied in Polish alongside the other children. On the eve of World War II, there were about 400 Jews in Krivichi.  (See A Brief History of Jews in Krivichi.)

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