1 Execution site(s)
Anastasia L., born in 1923: "I went up to the roof of my home and saw the Jews being led two by two on the road to the execution site. Men, women and children together. They were told to take only their valuables. When they saw the pit, they began to scream. They had to undress, go down into the pit and the German shot them in the nape of the neck, one by one." (Witness n°235B, interviewed in Mikashevichi, on August 19, 2009)
Mikashevichi is in western Belarus, 270 km (168 mi) east of Brest and 100 km (62 mi) east of Pinsk. The first records of the Jewish community date back to the 18th century. Typically, the Jews worked in shops, workshops, mills, and warehouses. The Jewish community had a cemetery and a synagogue. During the interwar period, the town was under Polish rule. However, in September 1939, it was taken over by the Soviet Union. It is estimated that about 80 Jewish families lived in Mikashevichi on the eve of the war.
Mikashevichi was occupied by German forces in July 1941. Shortly after the German arrival, all the Jews were marked with yellow badges. An open ghetto was established in the area where the Jews lived. The ghetto was not guarded and Jews could leave and enter its territory freely. In mid-August 1942, the ghetto was liquidated. During this Aktion, all the Jews were rounded up and taken to the Jewish cemetery to be shot. They were shot in groups on the edge of the pit. Before being shot, they were forced to take off outer clothes. Today, there is a memorial at the shooting site.
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