Tomashpil (, ) is a rural settlement in the eastern

Podolia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

, specifically in Tulchyn Raion of

Vinnytsia Oblast Vinnytsia Oblast (, ), also referred to as Vinnychchyna (), is an oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in central Ukraine. Its capital city, administrative center is Vinnytsia. The oblast has a population of History Vinnytsia Oblast, first established on ...

in central

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. Tomashpil is situated on the banks of the Rusava River. Tomashpil is the administrative district of Tomashpil Raion (780 km²), home to 40.608 people scattered over the town and 30 villages around. Population: The closest railway station is

Vapniarka Vapniarka (), also known as Vapniarca, Vapnyarka, Wapnjarka or Wapniarka, is a Populated places in Ukraine#Rural settlements, rural settlement in Tulchyn Raion, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine, known since 1870 as a railroad station. Its name from the U ...

, 19 km away. It is accessible by taxi or a small bus called a '

Marshrutka ''Marshrutnoye taksi''Bratslav Voivodeship was part of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

until 1569. And in 1569 (with the

Union of Lublin The Union of Lublin (; ) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the personal union of the Crown of the Kingd ...

) it passed to the Polish kingdom. The first historical mention in the documents dates to 1616, when Tomashpil and the entire

belonged to the Kingdom of Poland (Polish Crown). During Polish rule Tomshpil belonged to Braclaw Voivoidship. In 1793, during the

Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of partitions of Poland, three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition (politics), partition occurred i ...

, Tomashpil and Eastern

passed from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. It was part of short-lived Ukrainian National Republic (UNR) in 1917–1919. From 1922 until 1991 it was in the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

(

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

). Since 1991 it has been a part of independent

. The name Tomashpil stems from Polish name for Thomas—Tomasz, pronounced as "Tomash". The ending "pil" (-pol) is presumably from Greek "polis" (city) or Slavic "pole" (field). Until 26 January 2024, Tomashpil was designated

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

. On this day, a new law entered into force which abolished this status, and Tomashpil became a rural settlement.

Tomashpil Jews

The earliest known

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

community was 17th century. 1939 Jewish population (census) was 3,252. Affecting the Jewish community were Khmelnytskyi Pogroms in 1648–9, pogroms in 1919–20, the shooting of 350

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

on August 4, 1941, and the 1941–1944 ghetto. The Jewish cemetery was established in 1928 with last known

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

burial in 1994. The cemetery is located just South of Tomashphil, on a hillside on the right side of the road leading to Yampil. It is bordering a much newer Polish cemetery. Although many of the older grave markers are difficult to read, there are many newer ones that are well maintained. There is also a mass grave for the 350 Jews shot in 1941. Today, Tomashpol is considered a Ukrainian town and few Jews remain living there, although sometimes groups or individuals come searching for the gravestones or houses of their relatives. Some of the old Jewish houses remain on the old street near the central marketplace, although most are in disrepair.

Economy

There is a sugar plant and textile industries in Tomashpil. The sugar factory was built in the beginning of the 20th century and it still operational 3 months out of the year when the sugar crop comes in. The biggest deposit of sawn stone in Ukraine is situated in Vinnytsia oblast 10 km from Tomashpil.

Population

* 1970 – 2,100 * 1994 – 5,944

Notable people

* Vladyslav Dubinchak (born 1998), Ukrainian footballer

References

{{Authority control Rural settlements in Tulchyn Raion Podolia Governorate Holocaust locations in Ukraine