Lyubavichi | Smolensk

Rabbi Isaac Schnersoon, founder of the hassidic movement @wikipedia.org / Valentina P., born in 1926, saw the column of Jews walking to the execution site. She had a twin sister and they both were to be shot but thanks to the mayor, they were saved. 29 Jews were were shot by the German units that day © Nicolas Tkatchouk –Yahad- Gravestone in the Jewish cemetery © Nicolas Tkatchouk –Yahad-In Unum Execution site of Jewish victims © Nicolas Tkatchouk –Yahad-In Unum Place where Jews were gathered before being taken to the killing site © Nicolas Tkatchouk –Yahad-In Unum

Execution of Jews in Lyubavichi

1 Execution site(s)

Investigated by Yahad:
2010
Kind of place before:
Ravine
Memorials:
Yes
Period of occupation:
1941-1943
Witnesses interviewed:
7

Witness interview

Yekaterina P. (N°4): "When Jews were taken to the execution site, they were lined up in front of a ravine. They were shot and fell inside. The ground moved for a few days." (Witness N°4, interviewed in Lyubavichi, on September 24, 2009).

Historical note

Lyubavichi is located 15 kilometers southwest of Rudnya. In 1939, there were 1,069 Jews in the town. The town was famous for being the headquarters of the Hassidic movement, Lubavich. Isaas Schnersoon lived in this town.

 

Holocaust by bullets in figures

The village was occupied by the Germans on July 21, 1941. 17 young men were immediately targeted and killed. The other Jews were confined in a camp near Rudnya. In November 1941, the Jews were gathered on one street. On November 4, 1941, the SS surrounded the ghetto and took the Jews to the execution site. 483 Jews were shot in one day

Nearby villages

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