Ulla | Vitebsk

/ Valentina D., born in 1928: “many Jews lived here before the war. They had a synagogue. I remember some of their names: Borakh, Moiske Aksientsov, doctor Runa, the Shukhman family and the Salomon’s family.” ©Nicolas Tkatchouk/Yahad – In Unum The Yahad team with Vladimir D., born in 1926, a war veteran. Together with his unit, he entered the Majdanek camp while liberating the occupied territories. ©Nicolas Tkatchouk/Yahad – In Unum Vladimir D., born in 1926, a war veteran who participated in liberation of Warsaw and went on to Berlin. ©Nicolas Tkatchouk/Yahad – In Unum Mira M., born in 1928, is a Jewish survivor. Her sister, Raisa, was shot dead in Ulla. Her father David was mobilized to the army and perished in battle. ©Nicolas Tkatchouk/Yahad – In Unum Mira M., born in 1928, as a young woman. ©Nicolas Tkatchouk/Yahad – In Unum Vladimir D., born in 1930, lived next to Ulla in one of the villages controlled by partisans. In 1943, he was rounded-up by the Germans and taken along with other kids to the Polotsk military hospital, where he was forced to donate blood for German soldie The execution site of about 200 Jews murdered in Ulla in the winter 1941-1942. ©Nicolas Tkatchouk/Yahad – In Unum Vladimir D., born in 1926: “When the Nazis invaded, they turned one of the former military barracks into a ghetto. In the autumn of 1941, all the Jews were forced to move there. The barracks were surrounded with barbed wire and guarded by police”. ©Nicola

Execution of Jews in Ulla

1 Sitio(s) de ejecución

Tipo de lugar antes:
Former military grounds
Memoriales:
Yes
Período de ocupación:
1941-1944
Número de víctimas:
204

Entrevista del testigo

Valentina D., born in 1928: "The Jews continued to live in their homes. Then they were all gathered in a building that was fenced in with barbed wire. I don’t know how long they stayed there, but it was more than a couple of days. It was a certain period of time. Then, one day they were all taken to be shot. Before being taken away, they were gathered at the public square. There were men, women and children among them." (Witness n°38B, interviewed in Ulla, on July 17, 2008)

Archivos soviéticos

“On January 17, 1942, during the Nazi occupation of Ulla, 204 Jews were shot to death.”[Act drawn up by Soviet State Extraordinary Commission(ChGK) on March 31, 1945; GARF 7021-84-1/Copy RG-22.002M]

Nota histórica

Ulla is located 65 km (168 mi) east of Vitebsk. The first records of the Jewish community date back to the early 18th century. According to the census of 1923, 1,068 Jews were living in Ulla. Typically, the Jews worked in shops, workshops, mills, and warehouses. The community had a synagogue (according to one witness there were even three synagogues). There was a Jewish school as well. Under the Soviet Union, many Jews worked in the collective farms. On the eve of the war, only 20% of the total towns’ population was Jewish, numbering 516 individuals. The majority of them left the town for better economical and professional possibilities.  

Holocausto por balas en cifras

Ulla was occupied by German forces in July 1941. Shortly after the German arrival, all the Jews were marked with yellow badges. An open ghetto was established in the area where the Jews lived. The ghetto was not guarded, and Jews could leave and enter its territory freely. In mid-August 1942, the ghetto was liquidated. During this Aktion, all the Jews were rounded up and taken to the Jewish cemetery to be shot. They were shot in groups on the edge of the pit. Before being shot, they were forced to take off outer clothes. Today, there is a memorial at the shooting site.

Pueblos cercanos

  • Sloboda
  • Shumilino
Para apoyar el trabajo de Yahad-in Unum por favor considere hacer una donación

¿Tiene información adicional con respecto a un pueblo que le gustaría compartir con Yahad?

Por favor contáctenos a contact@yahadinunum.org
o llamando a Yahad – In Unum at +33 (0) 1 53 20 13 17