KORSUN-SHEVCHENKOVSKI, city in Kiev district, Ukraine. A Jewish community existed in Korsun from the 17^th century. When the Cossack armies defeated the Polish army near Korsun in May 1648 this sparked off the revolt throughout Ukraine which resulted in the destruction of Ukrainian Jewry (see *Chmielnicki massacres). In 1702 the town suffered heavily in an attack by the *Haidamacks and only a quarter of them survived. In 1734 the Haidamacks killed 27 Jews and stole much Jewish property. The number of poll-tax paying Jews in Korsun in 1785 was 187. With the Russian annexation (1793), the community increased in number, growing from 1,456 Jews in 1847 to 3,800 (46.3% of the total population) in 1897. In 1881 a yeshivah was opened, where Russian and arithmetic were also taught. On March 1, 1918, Bolsheviks murdered several community leaders, including the rabbi, in a riot. In the summer of 1919 the Cossacks of *Denikin's army rioted in Korsun, killed 16, with the result that many Jews left the town. There were 2,449 Jews (50.1% of the population) living there in 1926, and the number dropped to 1,329 (14.2% of the total population) in 1939. A Jewish council was active in the 1920s. The Germans occupied the city on July 30, 1941. In September they killed 226 Jews, and probably the rest of them in November.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.

Korsun-Shevchenkovski