Sinelnikovo

Jews started to settle in Sinelnikovo in the second half of the 19th century. Between 1882 and 1903 Jews were barred from living in the town. When the ban was lifted, the Jewish population of Sinelnikovo began to grow rapidly. In 1919, during the Russian civil war, Denikin’s White troops staged a pogrom in Sinelnikovo, killing 17 Jews at the train station. In 1926 1,309 lived in Sinelnikovo, comprising 10.4 percent of the total population. During the Soviet period many Sinelnikovo Jews, especially the younger ones, abandoned the town for cities to pursue their education or job opportunities. Only 715 Jews remained in 1939, when they comprised 3.1 percent of the total population. Before the town was occupied by German forces on October 2, 1941 a large number of Jews succeeded in leaving. The 200 Jews who remained were shot on May 13, 1942 on the southern outskirts of the town. Sinelnikovo was liberated by the Red Army on September 21, 1943.