In Reni, lawmakers closed a Jewish cemetery

Members of the Reni City Council passed a resolution to officially close the cemetery in the city of Reni, Izmail District, Odesa Region.

The decision was approved during the 93rd regular session, which took place on July 2, 2026.

Draft Resolution No. 1833-VIII was included on the agenda and put to a vote under a simplified procedure. Fifteen council members voted in favor; there were no votes against or abstentions.

According to the document, the cemetery located at 23–25 Budagiana Street has been closed. The reason is that there are no longer any available plots on the site for new burials. The resolution also provides for a complete halt to burials at this site and is intended to help reduce the sanitary protection zone around the facility.

According to local media reports, this is an old Jewish cemetery considered one of the oldest in Reni. In fact, no new burials have taken place there for nearly two decades, and the site itself is in a state of neglect.

The cemetery ’s current condition is attributed to a sharp decline in the city’s Jewish community. In the past, the community numbered about 8,000 people, but in the 1970s and 1980s—and especially in the early 1990s—a significant portion of the residents emigrated to Israel under family reunification programs. As a result, there is practically no one left to care for most of the historic graves.

The cemetery grounds are regularly overgrown with shrubs and weeds, and cleanup efforts are largely funded by donors—former residents of Reni who now live in Israel.

Despite its neglected condition, the cemetery holds significant historical and cultural value for the Danube region. Its history dates back to the 19th century. Buried here are doctors, teachers, artisans, and entrepreneurs who made significant contributions to the city’s development.

Many of the headstones still bear inscriptions in Hebrew and Yiddish, and the oldest monuments feature epitaphs in Romanian.

Ірина Глухова