RYSHKANY

RYSHKANY (formerly Ryshkanovca, Rom. Râşcani), town in N. Moldova. Ryshkany developed into an urban community during the 19th century as a result of the large Jewish settlement in Bessarabia at that time. In 1897 there were 2,247 Jews (69% of the total population) in the town, and in 1930 there were 2,055 (66% of the total). In the 1930s the communal institutions included a kindergarten and an elementary school, both maintained by the tarbut organization. The community was destroyed when the Germans and Romanians entered Bessarabia in July 1941. In 1970 the Jewish population was estimated at about 150 families. (Eliyahu Feldman)