Ghetto in Surazh (July 1941 - August 2, 1941) - a Jewish ghetto , a place of forced resettlement of Jews in the village of Surazh, Vitebsk district, Vitebsk region and nearby settlements in the process of persecuting and exterminating Jews during the occupation of the territory of Belarus by Nazi Germany during World War II .
| Ghetto in Surazh | |
|---|---|
 Monument to the Jews of Surazh, killed in august 1941 | |
| Location | Suraj Vitebsk District Vitebsk region |
| Period of existence | July 1941 - August 2, 1941 |
| Death toll | about 1000 |
Content
Surazh occupation and ghetto establishment
The urban settlement Surazh was occupied by German troops on July 12, 1941, and the occupation lasted 2 years and 3.5 months - until October 28, 1943 [1] [2] . In addition to the local Jews, by the time there were many Jewish refugees from Vitebsk and Yanovichi in the captured place [3] .
The Germans, implementing the Nazi program of extermination of the Jews , organized a ghetto in Surazh, which lasted less than a month, until the beginning of August 1941 [4] [5] [6] .
Ghetto destruction
In early August 1941, the Germans sent a detachment of SS soldiers to destroy the partisan detachment "Old Man Mine" ( M.Fmyryov ). After the failed operation, the brutal Nazis returned to Surazh and began to take out their anger on the Jews. They were driven to the building of the former printing house, and those who lived behind Dvina were driven into a ford. In total, about 400 people gathered, most of them were women and about 50 children. They were all driven for Surazh to the village of Bolshaya Lyubschina . The children were dumped alive in a hole, covered with a tarpaulin and set on fire. Then they shot and dumped the rest into the pit. In 1996, the remains of those executed (372 bodies) were reburied at the Surazh old Jewish cemetery.
All the Jews of Surazh (969 people) were killed before August 2, 1941. Most of them were shot or buried alive near the village of Bolshaya Lyubshchina, in the area of the Surazh flax factory, in the ditch of the Gorodishche stream [7] [8] [2] [6] [9] .
| From the testimony of E. A. Ryko, witnesses of the murder of the Surazh Jews [2] [10] : “On August 2, the Gestapo fighters massacred Jews, which was hard to believe. At one o'clock in the day, punishers appeared on all the streets, who left the cars behind the borough and went along different roads. All the Jewish population - men, women and children - were gathered in the square, put into operation for registration. Not far from the building, two rows of Germans with sticks were put and every Jew walking from the table was mercilessly beaten with sticks. Then the men were stripped, taking off their good shoes, and laid before the Germans face down. After some time, three cars were filled with men, who were given shovels and taken to dig holes for their families, and then, laying mines in these holes, they drove both women and children there and blew up mines. Aspiring shot from rifles. Only a few singles managed to escape from this terrible penalty. " |
Before the death of doomed people were forced to undress and scoffed at them in every way. Children were thrown into the pit alive. Most women were raped before the murder and were also buried alive [11] [9] .
Only one Jewish watchmaker was left alive, whom the Bobby (as the policemen were scornfully called [12] [13] ) were forced to do some work and were also killed soon [3] .
Memory
The victims of the genocide of Jews in Surazh installed 2 monuments in the old Jewish cemetery (near the village of Shapurovo ), where their ashes were transferred, and a stone slab was installed near the flax factory [9] .
Incomplete lists of victims of the genocide of Jews in Surazh have been published [14] .
Sources
- A.P. Krasouski, W.A. Machulski, U.I. Mezentsa i insh. (redkal.), U.I. Mezentsaў (stakalnіk). “Pamyat. Vicenza raion. " - Mn. : Mastatskaya Literature, 2004. - 771 p. - ISBN 985-02-0647-0 . (white)
- Botvinnik M.B. . "Monuments of the genocide of the Jews of Belarus". - Mn. : “Belaruskaya Navuka”, 2000. - 326 p. - ISBN 985-08-0416-5 .
Further reading
- A. Shulman. "I will never forget this day ..."
- A. Shulman. Pines cherish their peace
- L. Smilovitsky , “The Catastrophe of the Jews in Belarus, 1941—1944”, Tel Aviv, 2000
- Itzhak Arad . The destruction of the Jews of the USSR during the German occupation (1941-1944). Collection of documents and materials, Jerusalem, Yad Vashem , 1991, ISBN 9653080105
- Chernoglazova R.A., Heer H. The Tragedy of the Jews of Belarus in 1941-1944: a collection of materials and documents. - Ed. 2nd, rev. and additional .. - Mn. : E. S. Halperin, 1997. - 398 p. - 1000 copies - ISBN 985627902X .
Notes
- ↑ Occupation periods of settlements of Belarus
- ↑ 1 2 3 “Monuments of the Genocide of the Jews of Belarus”, 2000 , p. 145-146.
- ↑ 1 2 “Pamjat. Vitsebski raion ”, 2004 , p. 235.
- ↑ “Pamyat. Vitsebski raion ”, 2004 , p. 228.
- National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB). - fund 861, opis 1, business 4, sheet 145; Foundation 750, opis 1, delo 7, sheet 144;
- ↑ 1 2 “Monuments of the Genocide of the Jews of Belarus”, 2000 , p. 161.
- ↑ “Pamyat. Vitsebski raion ”, 2004 , p. 225, 226, 228, 234, 235.
- ↑ State Archive of the Vitebsk Region (GAVO), - fond 1778, opis' 3, delo 2, sheet 4
- ↑ 1 2 3 “Monuments of the Genocide of the Jews of Belarus”, 2000 , p. 167.
- National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB). - fund 750, opis 1, business 224, sheet 44;
- ↑ “Pamyat. Vitsebski raion ”, 2004 , p. 234.
- ↑ “Pamyat. Asipovitsy District ”/ structure: P. S. Kachanovitch, V. U. Xypciq ; Redkal .: GK Kisyalov, P.S. Kachanovich i inn. - Minsk: BELTA, 2002 ISBN 985-6302-36-6 (Belor.)
- ↑ A. Adamovich , J. Bryl , V. Kolesnik . "I am in the gates ..." / Minsk: Mastatskaya literature, 1975
- ↑ “Pamyat. Vitsebski raion ”, 2004 , p. 623-624.
See also
- Ghetto in Vitebsk district