Korosten

The first reference to Jews living in Korosten (Iskorosten then) dates to 1765. In the 19th century the construction of the Warsaw – Kiev - St Petersburg railroad line contributed to the demographic and economic growth of the settlement. In 1897 1,266 Jews were living in Korosten, where they comprised 48 percent of the total population. By 1914 numerous local shops and small businesses were owned by Jews. Some sources report that several Jews were killed in a pogrom perpetuated by Petlyura troops in late February 1919. Other documents report pogroms in March and in late June 1919. In 1919 - 1920 also while revolting against Soviet rule, numerous local armed groups attacked Jews and plundered their property in various settlements around Korosten. In reaction, many Jews fled to Korosten. Thus in 1926, when Korosten acquired the status of town, more than 6,000 Jews lived in Korosten, comprising 50 percent of its total population. During the early Soviet era most of Korosten's Jews were artisans and could barely make a living. In 1925 a Jewish agricultural cooperative "Obraztsovyy Trud"("Model Labor"), consisting of 21 families, was organized in the town. In 1926 a rabbinical conference took place in the town with the participation of many Jewisrh religious leaders from various cities and towns of the USSR. In the mid 1920s Korosten has a Yiddish school with 369 pupils and 8 teachers. In 1939 the Jewish population of Korosten was 10,991, about 36 percent of its total population. Korosten was occupied by German troops on August 7, 1941. The Jewish population of Korosten and nearby villages was annihilated in a number of murder operations during August and September 1941. According to Soviet sources, the total number of Jewish victims from Korosten and the surrounding settlements was 6,000 – 7,000. German sources report murder operations in August – September 1941, during which 53, 238, 160, and 177 Jews were killed. In addition, several hundred Hungarian Jews were deported there. They were forced to had carry out hard labor jobs and suffered from cruel beatings, starvation, the cold, and lack of medical care. They were murdered in the vicinity of the villages of Doroshichi and Kupishche in the spring of 1943. Korosten was first liberated by the Red Army on November 17, 1943 but was reoccupied by the Germans on the following day. The town was finally liberated on December 28, 1943.