Novgorod Severskiy

Jews settled in Novgorod Severskiy in the second half of the 16th century. In 1897 the town had 2,965 Jews, who comprised 32 percent of the total population. In 1905 there were anti-Jewish riots in Novgorod Severskiy. In April 1919 a pogrom was staged by the troops of Ataman Remnev. Civil war, antisemitism, and urbanization under the Soviets period led many Jews to leave Novgorod Severskiy. In 1939 Novgorod Severskiy’s 982 Jews comprised 8.6 percent of the total population.

Novgorod Severskiy was occupied by German troops on August 26, 1941. Many Jews remained in the town. During the first days of the occupation the Germans ordered the registration of all the male population of the town and, then, of all the Jewish population regardless of sex. The Jews of Novgorod Severskiy were ordered to wear a white armband with a red star and were recruited for forced labor. Most Jews from Novgorod Severskiy were murdered by Germans in November 1941 near the village of Ostroushki. However, some of the Jews were murdered in their own homes. Novgorod Severskiy was liberated by the Red Army on September 16, 1943.