The own – the others’ holy sites: The case of Chernovtsy

Abstract

The article is devoted to the Jewish sacred places worshiped by non-Jewish population, in particular the graves of famous rabbis and tzaddik. There are three holy places in Chernovtsy (Chernivtsi) in Ukraine, where people come: the grave of Rabbi Benyamin Avi ha-Kogan at the Jewish cemetery in Chernivtsi on Russkaya street, the so-called Western Wall at the entrance to the cemetery in Chernivtsi, the grave of Isroel Ruzhinsky in Sadgor (Chernivtsi suburb). In all cases, people leave hand-written prayer notes and wishers. These notes are analyzed in the article.