Bolshaya Viska

Jewish settlement in Bolshaya Viska began in the 19th century. In 1939 there were 73 Jews living in the village. Bolshaya Viska was occupied by the Germans on August 2, 1941. Most of the Jews had remained in the village and were shot near the local hospital late in the spring of 1942. Some sources state that an unknown number of Jews were murdered in the clay pit beyond the village. Later in March 1943 a 6-year-old Jewish boy, Yakov Babchintser, who had been hidden by a local Ukrainian family was discovered and shot to death by local policemen. Bolshaya Viska was liberated by the Red Army on March 10, 1944.