The Khmelnytsky Massacre

Bohdan Khmelnytsky was a Zaporozhian Cossack who led the Cossacks into an uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He is hailed a national hero in Ukraine where his statue lies in Kiev.

He is known for his uprising against Poland, but the information under the statute does not mention that he committed one of the biggest massacres of Jewish people in Europe prior to the Holocaust. This violent uprising was against Polish nobles and Jewish merchants which led to the murdering of thousands of Jewish people. They were killed by these Cossacks. One Jewish author wrote: “I write of the Evil Decrees of Khmiel (Khemletsky), may his name be obliterated…”  –Yeven Mezulah (First Edition, 1653 CE).

The Cossacks tried to force Jews to convert to Eastern-Orthodox Christianity. Many Jews were murdered horrifically. Sometimes, just murdered. This includes being cut up or buried alive. Synagogues were destroyed and Torah scrolls were burned.

To quote Shabbetai Meir Ha-Kohen (The Shakh), “They arrived … as if they had come with the Poles … in order that he open the gates of the fortress … and they succeeded … and they massacred about 6,000 souls in the town … and they drowned several hundreds in the water and by all kinds of cruel torments. In the synagogue, before the Holy Ark, they slaughtered with butchers’ knives … after which they destroyed the synagogue and took out all the Torah books … they tore them up … and they laid them out … for men and animals to trample on … they also made sandals of them … and several other garments” (Shabbetai  Meir ha-Kohen , Megillah Afah).

Luckily, afterwards, the King of Poland allowed the forced converts to go back to Judaism. Though, it should be noted that the two main churches weren’t that fond of each other before that, so there’d be good reasons for Eastern Christians to not grow in Poland. Though, the sympathy that the Polish nobles had was good. We even settled into the forests of Eastern Europe where they gained a hand in the lumber industry. We even had the growth of Yeshivish and Chassidish Jewry. After this atrocity in Hebrew history, Judaism was able to re-grow itself in Eastern Europe.