Yampil or Yampol (Ukrainian: Ямпіль; Russian: Ямполь; Yiddish: יאמפאלא) is a town of Bilohiria Raion in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast, in the Volyn region of western Ukraine. It is located 25 miles SE of Kremenets. Population: 1,854 (2020 est.)[1]
Jewish community
The Jewish community of Yampol dates back to the 15th century, and maybe much earlier than that. Its most distinguished rabbi was Rabbi Yechiel Michel ("Reb Mechele") the Maggid of Zlotshov and his son Reb Yosef of Yampol, also the "Noda Bihuda" (Rabbi Yechezkel Landau) was serving as Rav there before moving to Prague. Yampol is known for its historic Jewish cemetery, where the first Ohel over a Hasidic grave site was built - over Rabbi Yechiel Michel's grave. (The Ohalim over the graves of Rabbi Michel's masters, the "Baal Shem Tov" and "Magid Of Mezritch", were built years later.) This was copied by all other "Hasidic Dynasties". Rabbi Moshe Landau, the current chief rabbi of Yampola, had pumped in millions of dollars to restore the glory of this historical Jewish town; his mainly residence is in New York and travels there frequently for the holidays or special events he is known as Yampola'r Rebbe.[2]
In 2002 the foundations of the original "Ohel" were discovered by the current Yampola'r Rabbi, and a new building was built over the grave sites, which attracts thousands of visitors each year, especially during the summer months; a modern four-star hotel, named "Promenade" was built next to the old cemetery to accommodate the hundreds and thousands of visitors.
See also
- Bilohiria, the other urban-type settlement in the Bilohiria Raion
References
- ^ "Чисельність наявного населення України (Actual population of Ukraine)" (PDF) (in Ukrainian). State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ^ A City in Flames, Memorial Book of Yampol
External links