Ethnic composition

Ethnic group

1930 census

2004 census

2014 census

Briceni Târg

Briceni Sat

Moldovans

-

-

3,344

3,165

Romanians

57

153

67

254

Jews

5,354

63

52

N/A

Ruthenians and Ukrainians

144

2,773

4,271

2,719

Russians

52

98

737

551

Gypsies

–

–

185

106

Bulgarians

1

–

26

15

Gagauzians

–

–

14

14

Poles

10

64

3

62

Germans

2

8

66

Greeks

5

–

Hungarians

–

1

others

–

–

Total

5,625

3,160

8,765

7,314

Native language

Language

1930 census

2004 census

Briceni Târg

Briceni Sat

Romanian

64

123

N/A

Yiddish

5,348

63

N/A

Ukrainian

123

2,790

N/A

Russian

83

162

N/A

Polish

–

16

N/A

German

6

6

N/A

Bulgarian

1

–

N/A

others

–

–

N/A

Total

5,625

3,160

8,765

1817

The town (then a fair) had 137 Jewish families. Another 47 had previously left when the village was partly destroyed by fire.

1847

Jewish school opened.

1850

Briceni had one of the largest Jewish communities in Bessarabia.

1885

Jewish hospital founded.

1897

There were 7,184 Jews in Bricheni (96.5% of the total population)

1898

The town had 7,303 Jews out of a total population of 8,094. There were 972 Jewish artisans, most of whom were furriers who produced and exported up to 25,000 fur overcoats and caps per year. 25 families were dedicated to gardening and to producing tobacco. About 700 Jews were day laborers, earning 10–30 kopeck per day.

1924

125 Jews were occupied in agriculture on 64km2 (approx. 1,600 acres) of land, most of it (5km2) held on lease.

1930

5354 Jews (95.2% of the total population). There was a Hebrew Tarbut school.

1940

Jewish population grew to about 10,000.

June, 1940

Briceni, along with the rest of Bessarabia was occupied by the USSR. Most Jewish property and community buildings were confiscated. The only synagogue was saved because the Soviets decided to use it as a granary. About 80 Jews, mostly community leaders, were exiled to Siberia.

July 8, 1941

German & Romanian troops passed through the town, murdering many Jews. Jews from the neighboring towns of Lipcani (then Lipcani Târg) and Sokyriany (then Secureni Târg) were brought to Briceni.

July 28, 1941

All Jews were dispatched across the river Dniester (outside Bessarabia) and several were shot en route. When they arrived in Mohyliv-Podilskyi, the Germans "selected" the old people and forced the younger ones to dig graves for them. From Mohyliv-Podilskyi the rest were turned back to Otaci and then on to Secureni-Târg. Hundreds died en route. For a month they stayed in the ghetto there, only to be deported again to Transnistria in late 1941. All the young Jews were murdered in a forest near Soroca.

After 1945

Only about 1,000 Jews returned to Briceni at the end of the World War II.