Krasnaya Sloboda/Popovtsy | Minsk

Ambiance in Krasnaya Sloboda. ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum The old Jewish cemetery in Krasnaya Sloboda. ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum Nina S. was a partisan fighting among men. ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum Abram V., a Jewish survivor. ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum Nina K., born in 1933: "The column of Jews was escorted by Germans and policemen on both sides. The Germans had dogs with them. They were taken to a field outside the village." ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum Valentina V., born in 1932: "10-12 young Jewish men were shot on the central square. I didn’t see the shooting but I saw their bodies afterwards. Their heads were exploded open. They must have killed with explosive bullets." ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum The Yahad team during the interview with Valentina V. ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum One of the sites of the shooting of the Jews near Krasnaya Sloboda. ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum /

Execution of Jews in Krasnaya Sloboda

2 Killing site(s)

Kind of place before:
Field
Memorials:
Yes
Period of occupation:
1941 - 1944
Number of victims:
882

Witness interview

Abram V., a Jewish survivor: “We heard on the radio that the war had begun. Two days later, inhabitants began to flee. I left during the night of June 25-26 with my cousin and a friend. We took a train on a long journey. I went to Uzbekistan where I worked. I returned in 1946.” (Witness N°777, interviewed in Krasnaya Sloboda, on May 25, 2014)

Historical note

Krasnaya Sloboda is a village situated 120km south of Minsk. In 1939, there were around 600 Jewish inhabitants. The place was under German occupation from 1941 to 1944.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

According to historical documents, little is known about the fate of the Jews during the German occupation. Thanks to the testimonies recorded by Yahad, it is possible to partially reconstruct what happened to the Jews of the village, even if the information is sometimes a bit contradictory.

The Jews of the village were gathered for a few days in the building of the cultural club. Some of them were killed and burned in the club by the Germans. Others were shot at two different sites, situated in fields outside of the village. One of the sites was a pit dug before the war for the construction of a bunker. According to local testimonies, the monument is not situated at the exact site of the shooting.

Nearby villages

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