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1 Execution site(s)
Halyna S., born in 1928: “At that moment we were working in the field when we heard a strange sound. We turned and we saw two trucks coming in our direction. The trucks were uncovered and we could see people inside. There were men, women and children among the Jews. They were all native from Oleksandrivka. How the children cried! It was unbearable. We could hear it even from there. On the site, the trucks stopped and all Jews were forced out. They were lined up on the edge of the ravine, a German shouted something, - I think it was an order to fire, and the shooters started to fire at them with sub machine guns. We didn’t see many details because we were rather far away and once they started to fire we ran away.” (Testimony n°2034, interviewed in Oleksandrivka, on April 13, 2016)
“In October –November 1941, the mass execution of Jewish population took place in Aleksandrovka. The execution took place in the ravine, 1km away from Aleksandrovka, where more than 600 civilians were shot. […]
From the testimony of a local villager, Akulina Kh.: “I had always lived in Ivangorod. I had Jewish neighbors, the family of Shai Serdiukovsky were 3 people who were taken and shot in front of me by German occupants. The Jews who lived in Ivangorod were taken to Aleksandrovka and shot in the ravine. I know and I saw that the Jews in Aleksandrovka were assembled in the stable and after taken in vehicles to the ravine where they were shot. [Act of the Soviet Extraordinary commission, RG.22-002M: 7021-66-123]
Oleksandrivka, set up in 17th century, is located 54 km north of Kirovohrad (today Kropyvnytskyi). The first records of the Jewish community dates back to the middle of the 18th century. By the end of 19th century the Jews represented 74% of the total population numbering 3,213 Jews living in Oleksandrivka. In 1918-1919, there was a wave of pogroms in all regions of Kirovohrad and Oleksandrivka was not an exception. 48 Jews were killed and Jewish houses and shops were destroyed and plundered during the pogroms. The majority of Jews lived off small trade and handcraft. Many Jews worked in a local hospital. There was no synagogue. There was an elementary Yiddish school, but according to local testimonies Jewish and non-Jewish children went to school together.
Due to the relocation to bigger cities the Jewish population dropped roughly and on the eve of the war, only 565 Jews (20% of total population) lived in Oleksandrivka. The town was occupied by Germans on August 5, 1941. By that time about 30% of Jews managed to evacuate to the East.
In November 1941, the village which remained until now, under German military administration was taken down by German civil administration. Immediately after the German occupation all Jews were registered and marked with Stars of David. In December 1941, a ghetto was created with a population of about 600 Jews from Oleksandrivka and nearby villages. The ghetto located on four streets, including Lenin and Shevchenko streets, was fenced in and guarded. However, in the beginning the Jews were allowed to go to the market from the ghetto. There were two major anti-Jewish aktions conducted by German SS units and police against the Jews. The first aktion was carried out in late March 1942, when after a selection about 200 (300 according to other sources) were confined in the stable for some time, while the selected craftsmen and their families were sent back to the ghetto. According to the local witness interviewed by Yahad, the Jews were taken from the stable to the ravine at night. They were transported in trucks. Several trucks arrived at once and about 30-35 Jews were loaded inside. The shooting lasted for 3 days. The second execution of the remaining Jewish inmates took place in spring 1943. According to the Soviet archives in all 600 Jews from Oleksandrivka and nearby places, such as Ivangorod were murdered.
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