Berdichev (Ukrainian : Бердичів ; Russian : Бердичев ; Polish : Berdyczów ; Yiddish : בערדיטשאוו ) is a city in Zhytomyr Oblast , Ukraine , located about 40 km south of the regional capital, the city of Zhytomyr . It was founded in 1455 , and has about 74,000 residents as of 2024. It was a significant city in the history of Hassidic Jews. It was home to approximately 20,000 Jews before the Nazi occupation in July 1941. When the Red Army liberated the city in January 1944, only 15 Jews remained.