Vad Rashkov

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VAD RASHKOV

VAD RASHKOV , town in Bessarabia, on the Dniester, today Moldova. Under the Moldavians (up to 1812) the town was called Rashkov, the same name as the city facing it on the opposite bank of the river. In 1817 there were 88 Jewish heads of households there. As a result of Jewish emigration to Bessarabia during the 19th century, the community grew, and by 1857 it supported two synagogues and a house of prayer. In 1897 the community numbered 3,237 (69.7% of the total population), but in 1930 the number had decreased to 1,958 (49.2% of the total). Jews engaged in trade, crafts, and also in agriculture (mainly viticulture). Among 379 members registered in the local loan fund in 1925, 154 were tradesmen, 113 artisans, and 65 farmers. When the Germans and the Romanians invaded Bessarabia in July 1941, most of the Jews escaped to the Russian side of the Dniester River.

[Eliyahu Feldman]

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