Velikiye Luki

The first reference to Jews living in Velikiye Luki relates to 1861, when about 19 Jews lived in the city. In 1897 the number of Jews was about 669, this was approximately 0.1 percent of the total population. In 1905 the Jewish community in Velikiye Luki suffered from pogroms, during which several Jews were killed. In 1939 the number of Jews in Velikiye Luki was 1,519, or about 4 percent of the entire population. The Germans occupied the city twice. The first occupation was only from July 19, 1941, until July 21, 1941. The second time the city was occupied on August 24 of the same year. The majority of the local Jews left before the German forces reached the city. During the occupation the Germans registered the remaining 59 Jews, forced them to wear a yellow badge, and imprisoned them in a ghetto. In September [or October] 1941 Jews were shot to death in the yard of the local command [headquarters] and in the area of local cemeteries. The Red Army liberated Velikiye Luki on January 17, 1943.