Photos of Jewish cemetery in Prykarpattia taken by Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier win Wikipedia contest
Photos of a cemetery in Deliatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, were recognised as the best in the category Jewish Heritage of the photo contest Wiki Loves Monuments 2023.
The author of the images is Taras Zolotavin, the competition website writes. The photographer serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Wiki Loves Monuments is a photo contest of cultural heritage monuments held by regional branches of the Wikimedia Foundation in about 50 countries worldwide, including Ukraine.
The organisers aim to collect photos of all the world's cultural heritage sites and post them on Wikipedia pages.
Photo: Taras Zolotavin
It is noted that three photos depicting a Jewish cemetery not protected by the state were included in the Best Series category.
Taras Zolotavin photographed the cemetery in Deliatyn a few years ago during a trip to the Carpathians.
Taras says he was able to visit the Jewish cemetery thanks to local residents, who fenced it to protect the cemetery from vandalism and cattle grazing.
"I was very impressed with the scale. Before that, I had never seen so many matzevot (Jewish tombstones – ed.) at the same place with such a variety of ornaments.
There is a rather elegant stone carving work. There’s a richness of stylistics and ornaments, animals, symbols, inscriptions, etc.," said Taras Zolotavin.
Photo: Taras Zolotavin
Among the competition jury members are Marla and Jay Osborn, who are working on restoring Jewish cemeteries in Rohatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.
They say that the cemetery in Deliatyn is one of the few surviving Jewish cemeteries in the western part of Ukraine.
"The cemetery ages naturally without outside interference. The photo illustrates the typical density of burials in these old cemeteries and the unique style of carving inscriptions and symbols," the Osborns commented on one of the photos.
TARAS ZOLOTAVIN.
Photo: Wiki Loves Monuments
In 2023, more than 800 photos were submitted for participation in the contest within the framework of the special category Jewish Heritage.
The photos show 119 objects from 20 oblasts of Ukraine; 46 of them are not protected by the state.
Taras Zolotavin is participating in the Wikipedia contest for the second time. In 2021, he entered the top-10 most productive contestants.
Previously: The photo taken in the Ukrainian Nature Reserve won the international contest Wiki Loves The Earth-2023.
Support UP or become our patron!
