Shumsk (called Shumsk in Yiddish and Ukrainian, and Shumskoye in Russian) is located at 50'07'/26'07', 62 km south of Rovno. It is now part of the Ternopil District of Ukraine, but is identified with the historic region of Volhynia. It was part of Poland from the 16th century to the end of the 18th century, when it became part of Russia. In 1921 the Treaty of Riga returned Shumsk to Poland. It became part of the USSR in 1939, but was overtaken by the German Army during World War II. In 1945 Shumsk was again part of the USSR, and remained so until the establishment of the independent state of Ukraine in 1991.

The All Russian Census of 1897 listed the population of Shumsk as 2,258, 1,962 of whom (87%) were Jews. Most of the other residents were Polish Russian, and Ukrainian, with many more Ukrainians living in the nearby villages. There was significant emigration from the town in the first several decades of the 20th century, primarily to the United States. Nearly the entire remaining Jewish population of the town was murdered by the Nazis. A handful attempted to resume their lives in the town following the War. Today the town is populated primarily by ethnic Ukrainians.

For a detailed map with Shumsk and its region, click here.
For a map that will help you position Shumsk relative to Eastern Europe, click here.