Belorechenskaya

Since Belorechenskaya had been outside the Pale of Settlement, even after the Revolution hardly any Jews lived there. However, with the German invasion of the USSR on June 22, 1941, the County became a destination for civilian evacuation or flight, including of Jews. In August 1941 German forces occupied the town. The Germans immediately started to search for Jews and people from other groups they considered subhuman or disloyal. During the night between August 24 and 25 those arrested were taken to the German headquarters. On the morning of August 25 the prisoners were shot to death on the bank of the Belaya River. Overall, during the German occupation of the town, the occupiers shot to death 272 people, consisting of Jews, non-Jewish Communists, and other civilians, as well as Soviet POWs. The Red Army liberated Belorechenskaya on February 1, 1943. It was renamed as Belorechenck in 1958.