Volodarsk-Volynskyi | Zhytomyr

/ Volodymy M., born in 1927: “Two or four days after the Germans’ arrival, five Jewish merchants were arrested and publicly tortured. In the evening, they were shot.” © Victoria Bahr - Yahad-In Unum Leonid M., born in 1935: “They were shot in the clay pit near the brickyard. It was not very big. Once they were kneeling at the edge of the pit, the police fired at them with submachine guns.” © Victoria Bahr - Yahad-In Unum Yahad team during the interview © Victoria Bahr - Yahad-In Unum Leonid M. shows the Yahad team the execution site of 12 Jews he happened to witness. © Victoria Bahr - Yahad-In Unum The execution site of 5 Jews, two children among them, shot at the end of August 1941 © Victoria Bahr - Yahad-In Unum The execution site of about 143 Jewish victims, murdered in 1941. © Victoria Bahr - Yahad-In Unum The monument in the memory of 143 Jews murdered by Nazis during WWII. © Victoria Bahr - Yahad-In Unum

Execution of Jews in Volodarsk-Volynskyi

3 Execution site(s)

Kind of place before:
Clay quarry near the brickyard
Memorials:
Yes
Period of occupation:
1941-1944
Number of victims:
143

Witness interview

Leonid M., born in 1935, recounts: “Nobody could see the big mass shooting because the Germans took them at dawn. But, after that shooting, while grazing the cows, I saw 12 or 13 Jews about to be shot. There were two children among them. The Jews had to approach the pit in small groups and sit down or kneel at the edge of the pit and the police fired at them with sub machine guns. Those who didn’t fall down into the pit were pushed by the policemen’s feet. There were about ten policemen and Germans who remained about 10-15m away from the pit. ” (Eyewitness n°1746, interviewed in Volodarsk-Volynskyi, on June 06, 2013)

Soviet archives

“During the German occupation of the town of Volodarsk-Volynskyi, the German gendarmers and police shot 143 Jews in 1941. Moreover, 5 Soviet functionaries were arrested and shot in 1942.” [Deposition of Anton S., born in Volodarsk-Volynskyi, to the Soviet Extraordinary commission, taken in 1944; RG-22.002M.7021-60/288

Historical note

Volodarsk-Volynsky is located 52 km north of Zhytomyr. The majority of Jews lived off of trade, holding their own small business. Some of them were artisans and farmers.  There was a wooden synagogue. The German forces occupied the town in mid-July 1941.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

The anti-Jews Aktions started immediately after the German arrival. According to Volodymyr M. (Witness n°1745), five rich merchants, Yankel and Tsalyk, were arrested and publically tortured at the Kutuzov Park and shot afterwards, on the same night. The big execution was carried some weeks after by the German gendarmes and police. During this Aktion, 143 Jews were murdered.   From field research, Yahad discovered that there were also several small executions at the end of August 1941, once the majority of Jews had been killed. Thus, we were able to identify at least two execution sites that were shown to us by the eyewitnesses of the executions. 5 Jews were shot at the end of August. During one execution, 5 Jews were killed and during another one, about 13 Jews, children among them.  All the executions were conducted by the gendarmes, accompanied by the police.

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