Jewish Cemetery, Grave of Rabbi Shabtai

The Jewish community of Rashkov is one of the most ancient in the entire region, with the first documentary mention of Jewish residents in this locality dating back to 1637. To this day, the village preserves tangible evidence of this long presence: a surviving synagogue building and two distinct Jewish cemeteries stand as witnesses to centuries of continuous Jewish life along the Dniester in this corner of the Kamenka district.

Rashkov held particular significance within the world of Jewish religious life as one of the important centers of Hasidism — the mystical movement within Judaism that spread through Eastern European Jewish communities from the 18th century onward. The village served as the residence of the Hasidic rabbis of the Rashkov dynasty, establishing it as a place of spiritual authority and pilgrimage within this tradition.

At the heart of this heritage rests the grave of Rabbi Shabtai, located within one of the village’s Jewish cemeteries. At the beginning of the 18th century, Rabbi Shabtai founded a Hasidic court in Rashkov, becoming a significant figure in the development of Hasidic Judaism in this region. He also composed his celebrated prayer book — the Siddur — written in Hebrew, a religious work that has connected this small Dniester village to the broader story of Jewish spiritual literature. The grave continues to attract pilgrims and visitors interested in Jewish heritage from throughout Pridnestrovie and far beyond.

Location: Rashkov village, Kamenka district