Mamalyha (Mamalyga) | Chernivtsi

/ Local ambiance. People working in the fields. ©Aleksey Kasyanov/Yahad-In Unum Serafima K., born in 1933: “The Jews locked up in the cattle wagons were screaming and asking for water and some food, but we couldn’t do anything because the place was guarded by Germans.” ©Aleksey Kasyanov/Yahad-In Unum Diordiy A., born in 1928: “They were asked to run and the shooters fired with a sub machine gun at their backs.” ©Aleksey Kasyanov/Yahad-In Unum Diordiy A. points out at the place where the Jews were shot. ©Aleksey Kasyanov/Yahad-In Unum Yahad’s team during the interview in the witness’ yard. ©Aleksey Kasyanov/Yahad-In Unum Diordiy was playing with his friends when he saw a group of 8 Jews being led by the Germans. Approaching the field, the Germans signaled to the Jews to run. They then shot them in the back. ©Aleksey Kasyanov/Yahad-In Unum The place where eight corpses were buried by the local residents. ©Aleksey Kasyanov/Yahad-In Unum

Execution of Jews in Mamalyha

1 Execution site(s)

Kind of place before:
Empty plot
Memorials:
No
Period of occupation:
1941-1944
Number of victims:
8

Witness interview

Serafima K., born in 1933, remembers: “One day, it was at the beginning of the war, I was walking not far away from the railway station. At that moment I saw a train full of people. It was going in the direction of Moldova, but it made a stop in Mamalyha for a couple of hours. There were only cattle wagons and as far as I could see from about 2km there were plenty of people inside of them. I could see them through the small windows. There were men, women and children. They were screaming and begging for food and water. We could not do anything. We could not even come close to the place because it was guarded by the Germans. I did not understand what was happening but afterwards I was told that those people were Jews. “(Testimony n°1897, interviewed in Mamalyha, on June 28th, 2015)

Historical note

Mamalyga is located 60 km east of Chernivtsi, on the border with Moldova. In the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, Mamalyha was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1918, the village fell under the control of Romania. Back then the majority of the population was Romanians and Moldavans. There were a small percentage of Jews. The majority of them lived off small trade and shops.  In 1940 Romania ceded the northern part of Bukovyna to the USSR.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

The village was occupied by Romanian troops on July 5th, 1941. The anti-Jewish measures were implemented straight after the occupation. The local Jews were rounded-up and taken by cart to the nearby village of Kuchulyany where they were most likely shot. During the field research trip, Yahad identified an execution site of about 8 non-local Jews who were shot in the village. There were three women and five men among the victims. According to the witness they were murdered by Germans in dark uniforms in spring 1942. During the field research trip we found out that the village was an important transit point, as the deported Jews were taken by train or by cart by the village to be deported to the camps located on the Moldovan territories.

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