Letter of testimony of Vera Gekhtman Leyn regarding the experiences of the Jews in the Polesye Region, 1941-1945

Letter of testimony of Vera Gekhtman Leyn regarding the experiences of the Jews in the Polesye Region, 1941-1945 Burning of Jews from Khatyn in a warehouse near the village, autumn, 1941; attempt to evacuate the Kalinkovichi Jews, 25 June 1941; the German occupation of Kalinkovichi; yellow badge order in Kalinkovichi; looting of Jewish houses; deportation of the Kalinkovichi Jews to the Mozyr Ghetto, August-September 1941; burning of the Mozyr synagogue; transfer for forced labor; murder of local residents, including Jews in the local prison, 1941; murder of Jews from the ghetto; rescue of Jews with help from local residents in Mikhalki; liberation of Mozyr by the Red Army, September 1944; murder of the residents of Myshanka, including the Jews; transfer to forced labor and murder of Jews in Ptich; looting of Jewish property in Petrikov; rape and abuse of Jews; transfer to forced labor; murder of Jewish women, children, and the elderly in a forest in the Petrikov area, September 1941; murder of Jewish men in a forest in the Petrikov area, November 1941; murder of Jewish experts in the Petrikov square, spring, 1942; demolition of the Petrikov synagogue by the Germans and murder of the rabbi; murder of the Jews of Lelchitsy by the Germans; burning of Jewish houses in Lelchitsy; joining of Jewish youth from Lelchitsy to the partisans under the command of Kovpak; deportation of the Jews of Kopatkevichi to the Sosnovy Bor camp, early October 1941; looting of Jewish property in Kopatkevichi; murder of Kopatkevichi Jews on the banks of the Ptich River, late September 1941; deportation of the Ozarichi Jews to the Osipovichi camp; burning of Ozarichi; murder of Jews from the Osipovichi camp in a swamp in the area, April 1942; looting of Jewish property in Zhitkovichi; transfer for forced labor in Zhitkovichi; establishment of the Zhitkovichi Ghetto; murder of the Jews of Zhitkovichi in the area, spring 1942; escape of Jewish youth from Zhitkovichi to join the partisans; rescue of Jews by local residents in Zhitkovichi; escape of Jewish youth from Turov to the forest and their joining the partisans; murder of Turov Jews; the German occupation of Khoyniki; establishment of a police force in the city; transfer for forced labor; deportation of Khoyniki Jews to the Bragin Ghetto, September 1941; looting of Jewish property in Khoyniki; shooting and burning of the Khoyniki Jews alive, August-September 1941; transfer for forced labor in the Bragin Ghetto; deportation of the Narovlya and Yelsk Jews to the Bragin Ghetto; liquidation of the Bragin Ghetto, spring 1942, and the murder of some of the ghetto Jews on the banks of the Braginka River; deportation of the remaining Jews to an unknown destination by train; burning of the Bragin Jews in the synagogue while still alive; rescue of Jews by local residents in Bragin; looting of Jewish property in Bragin; murder of the Narovlya Jews and looting of Jewish property by local residents; murder of the Yelsk Jews, September 1941 and spring 1942. Conducting of a trial against collaborators who committed war crimes in the Polesye Region, 1947-1949.