History

Jewish people began to settle in Sokal in the early 16^th century. Most local Jews were burghers making a living from trade in agricultural products. Between the 17^th and the 19^th century, the community was strongly influenced by the nearby Hasidic centre in Belz.

The Jewish community in Sokal started to develop dynamically in the 19^th century. In 1880, there were 2,408 Jews living in the town (35.8% of its population), in 1921 – 4,360 (42.8%), and in 1931 – as many as 5,220. The principal source of income was petty industry: brickworks, sawmills, soap and candle production, milling, as well as trade and crafts. The Zionists and the Bundists were active on the political scene.

The local social and economic life came to a halt when Soviet troops seized the town in September 1939. On 23 June 1941, the Red Army was pushed out of the town by Germans. Immediately after the change of power, the Ukrainian police apprehended 400 Jews and, having carried out a selection, shot most of them. The remaining Jews were forced to perform slave labour. Many starved to death in the winter of 1941–1942. On 17 September 1942, ca. 2,000 Jews were deported to the Nazi German extermination camp in Belzec.

On 15 October 1942, a ghetto was set up in Sokal. Its population comprised ca. 5,000 people, including many refugees. The typhus epidemic which broke out in the quarter was claiming ca. 20 victims a day. On 28 October 1942, a group of 2,500 Jews was transported to the Nazi German death camp in Belzec. Some tried to escape but were caught by Germans and nationalist Ukrainian guerrillas. The final extermination of the Jewish community in Sokal was carried out on 27 May 1943, when Germans shot the last surviving Jews on the outskirts of the town.