1 Execution site(s)
Volodymyr K., born in 1930: "In the summer, during early afternoon, I witnessed a column of Jews being led towards the execution site while I was grazing my cow. The victims, accompanied by 6 or 8 Germans, were directed to a ravine where a pit had been dug earlier by POWs. Men, women, and some children among the Jews were visibly distraught, crying as they walked, fully aware of their impending execution. I vividly recall a distressing incident where a Jewish woman was killed on her way to the pit after a heated exchange with one of the guards." (Testimony N°YIU1186U, interviewed in Nyzhcha Kropyvna, on May 19, 2011)
Nyzhcha Kropyvna is a small village situated approximately 73 km (45 mi) southeast of Vinnytsia. Unfortunately, there is limited information available regarding the Jewish residents of the village. However, it is worth noting that a substantial Jewish community thrived in the nearby town of Raygorod, which is located just 7 km (4 mi) northwest of Nyzhcha Kropyvna. With the onset of the German occupation, the Jewish population of Raygorod expanded due to the arrival of Jewish refugees from Transnistria.
Nyzhcha Kropyvna came under German occupation in the latter part of July 1941, leading to the establishment of German administration and a local police unit in the village. The occupation saw the creation of three labor camps in Nyzhcha Kropyvna, two designated for Soviet POWs and the third specifically for Jews, including those brought from Transnistria.
On May 26, 1942 (according to other sources in autumn 1942), elderly and young children from the Jewish labor camp were separated from the others and transported by truck to Raygorod. There, along with local Jews deemed unfit for labor, they were executed in a nearby forest. The remaining Jewish inmates, approximately 100 individuals, were confined in the former smithy building under guard. Men, women, and teenagers aged 15 to 19 were subjected to forced labor on the DGIV highway. Over time, the Jewish workers were provided with uniforms marked with numbers.
Around one year later, likely in the summer of 1943, the Jewish workers, led by 6-8 German guards, were marched in columns to the outskirts of Nyzhcha Kropyvna. There, they were shot to death in a pit dug in advance in a ravine by Soviet POWs. It is noted that at least one Jewish woman was killed along with her baby on their way to the execution site. There is currently no memorial to commemorate the mass grave.
For more information about the killing of Raygorod Jews please follow the corresponding profile.
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