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1 Execution site(s)
Yevdokia T., born in 1928: “I was on my way to school, I must have been eight or nine years old at the time. They lived in Stayki, well not in Stayki, but in a settlement, that’s where they lived. We bought things from them. They had homes over there… Now there is a pharmacy. That’s where they used to sell things like candies, mint flavored candies, I remember. […] they had mint flavored candies. They were called “sen-sen”. It’s the old-fashioned name... “Sen-sen.” We had no money, but there were two Jewish women there who would say to us: “Tell your mother to give you some eggs.” So, my mother gave me a couple of eggs and they gave me candies in exchange, well candies and… Well, they had different stuff... I bought this. And then, my children, when the war started…I had already stopped going to school or anything like that…we were also scared that the Germans would take us away.” (Witness n°1036, interviewed in Stayki, on October 29, 2019)
"[Summary] There are only lists of victims. According to the list, 17 Jews were exterminated in Stayki. No other detail is provided.” [GARF 7021-84-2]
Stayki is located 30 km (18,6mi) north of Orsha. The first records of the Jewish community date back to the 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, circa. 400 Jews lived in the village, making up roughly 30% of the total population. During the mid-1920s, the Jewish population decreased due to relocation to bigger towns. According to local residents, there were about a dozen Jewish houses close to the railway station. The majority of them were merchants, and they ran small shops inside their homes.
Stayki was occupied by the German army in July 1941. A part of the Jewish population escaped to the East. The remaining Jews continued to live in their homes until September 1941. On September 29, 1941, an Aktion was carried out by the Germans. Before being taken to the execution, all the Stayki Jews were rounded up and assembled near the local school. They were then led to the woods where they were shot with submachine guns. According to an eyewitness of the shooting, the local population was forced to go and watch the execution even though nobody took them there by force. According to some sources, there were two mass graves at the site. Ten communists were also murdered that day alongside the Jews.
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