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Borshchiv Ghetto () was a Jewish ghetto established and operated by Nazi Germany in the Ukrainian town of Borshchiv, Borshchiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, between April 1942 and July 1943.
On 26 September 1942 about 100 prisoners, mostly old and sick, were shot on the square, and about 800 were sent to Bełżec. A group of youth was sent to Yaniv concentration camp in Lviv. On 13 March 1943 other 400 people were sent to Bełżec. On 19 April 1943 Nazi Germany and Ukrainian police shot about 800 people in a Jewish cemetery (in the outskirts of town, on the road to Verkhnyakivtsi). On 5 June another 700 people were executed at the cemetery. From 9 to 14 June 1943, an additional 1,800 ghetto prisoners were killed. Then the Nazis considered Borschiv Judenfrei.
Some Jews, however, were hiding in various recesses both in the ghetto and in other places. Occupation authorities announced that those who came out by themselves would not be killed and would instead be sent to a labor camp. About 360 people believed them, but they were executed on 14 August 1943. The Jewish Ghetto.
Several Jewish physicians from the ghetto were saved by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), where they helped in the fight against the Nazis. In 1943 doctor Tayblis from Korolivka and doctor Monya Helyar from Turylche were rescued. Мизак Н. С. М 583 УПА «Захід» і збройне підпілля ОУН у боротьбі за Українську Самостійну Соборну Державу у 1942–1960 рр. — Чернівці-Торонто: Прут, 2011. — 436 с.; іл.
Some people succeeded in hiding until the end of the war. For example, Saul and Esther Stermer, their six children, and several other Jewish families from Korolivka hid in Verteba Cave near Bilche-Zolote. When raids intensified and two of the escapees were killed, they went into hiding in Priest's Grotto. (2026). 9780822587958, Kar-Ben Publishing. ISBN 9780822587958 The 38 people had been hiding there for 511 days. Local farmers helped the Jews by bringing them food and reporting some news. For example, one farmer gave them a wain of barley. The fugitives grounded the barley were able to feed themselves. In 1993, a police officer from New York and an amateur caver found the remains of their settlement in Priest's Grotto cave.
Some children who escaped death secretly lived with families of peasants. Many residents of Borshchiv Raion were awarded the title "Righteous Among the Nations". Ірина Мадзій. Єврейська дівчина з Горошової, що на Борщівщині, п’ятдесят років жила під українським прізвищем // TeNews. - 03.04.2015 Жанна Ковба. Людяність у безодні пекла. Поведінка місцевого населення Східної Галичини в роки "остаточного розв'язання єврейського питання" // Дух і літера. Київ, 2009. C. 177-180
American documentary filmmaker Janet Tobias in her film No Place on Earth described the life of Jews who were hiding in the Verteba and Priest's Grotto caves. Staged scenes, however, were not filmed in Ukraine, but instead in Hungary, in a similar cave. Deutsche Welle «Дети подземелья» из украинских пещер: история евреев, победивших смерть. Filming in Priest's Grotto would require much time and money. Esther Stermer, her children and grandchildren in the movie were played by Hungarian actors.
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