אוהל המאור עינים

Chernobyl — Ohel of the Me'or Einayim

Chernobyl · טשערנאביל

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Visitor experience

Practical notes from visitors — access, directions, and the condition of the site.

How to get there

Jewish cemetery, at the edge of the town, Chernobyl, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine — inside the exclusion zone

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The exact grave coordinates are not confirmed yet — go by the address and ask locally. We don't publish a coordinate we haven't checked.

1.THE GRAVES WERE LOST AND THEN FOUND AGAIN. They are in the town itself, near the former school, and they were forgotten for decades — it was the Jewish community that recovered and restored them in the early nineteen-nineties, before the zone became something people asked to visit.
2.IMPORTANT: Chernobyl lies inside the restricted exclusion zone. Access is tightly controlled and arranged only through authorized escorts — do not travel without confirming current permissions and safety.
3.THE OHEL IS AT THE EDGE OF THE TOWN, a small structure over the kever, and it is kept locked. The key has been held at the zone administration's own office in Chernobyl — Chernobylinterinform — so getting in has meant collecting it there rather than arranging anything in Kyiv.
4.YOU CANNOT DRIVE HERE AND YOU CANNOT COME ALONE. Entry to the zone is on an approved, escorted visit with a permit; even people who were evacuated from Chernobyl are let back to their own town on one appointed day a year.
5.CHECK BEFORE YOU PLAN ANYTHING. Zone visits were suspended after the invasion of 2022, when Russian forces held the site, and sources disagree about what is permitted now — one says tours remain suspended, another that visits are possible in 2026 under the conditions the Ukrainian authorities set. Nothing on this page should be treated as the current position; ask the zone administration.

Inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone — access is restricted and must be arranged with authorized escorts. Confirm current permissions and the exact grave location before traveling.

U.S. State Department · Ukraine

Level 4: Do Not Travel

Reissued with updates after periodic review. Do not travel to Ukraine due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Department of State continues to advise U.S. citizens to not travel to frontline regions of Ukraine and areas along Ukraine’s border with Belarus due to presence of Russian and Belarusian military …

Updated Nov 14, 2024. Read the full advisory →

Closest airports

The three nearest airports with scheduled service — tap for exact driving or transit time.

Kyiv (IEV)Kyiv Zhuliany (Ihor Sikorsky)· 99 km · 61 mi straight-line· regional
🚗 By car →🚆 Public transit →
Kyiv (KBP)Kyiv Boryspil International· 114 km · 71 mi straight-line· major hub
🚗 By car →🚆 Public transit →
Minsk (MSQ)Minsk National· 325 km · 202 mi straight-line· regional
🚗 By car →🚆 Public transit →

Who is buried here

Known kevarim

רבי מנחם נחום טווערסקי

Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky

The Me'or Einayim

מאור עינים · ישמח לב

Yahrzeit: י״א חשון · 5558 / 1797

Founder of the Chernobyl dynasty and a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezritch.

רבי מרדכי טווערסקי

Rabbi Mordechai Twersky

The Chernobyler Maggid

Son of the Me'or Einayim and Rebbe of Chernobyl after him. His eight sons each founded a dynasty of their own — Chernobyl's line runs through him.

Verification

No public access contact has been verified for this cemetery yet.