Korytnica

Jews settled in Korytnica in the mid-16th century. The Jews of the town suffered greatly during the Chmielnitsky Uprising(1648-1649). After the second and third partitions of Poland (1793 and 1795) the Volhyn District, including Korytnica, became part of the Russian Empire. The Jewish population grew steadly and in 1897 it was close to 500. During World War I, as a result of battles fought near the town for control over the Bug River, many houses in the town were burned down and Jews fled. After World War I Korytnica was incorporated into the independent Polish state. Under Polish rule, 60 Jewish families returned to the town. In 1921 279 Jews (out of the total of 355 residents) were living in Korytnica. Most of the Jews were small-scale merchants or artisans. Zionist youth movements, such as Hashomer Hatzair and Hehalutz, were active in the town. After September 17, 1939, with the arrival of the Red Army following the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, Korytnica became part of Soviet Ukraine. Due to its proximity to the Soviet-German border, the area of the town was declared a closed military zone by the Soviets. As a result, in the spring of 1940 local residents were relocated by the Soviet authorities to the Ludwików agricultural colony located near the town of Torczyn. Korytnica was occupied by the Germans in late June 1941. Shortly afterward, about 40 Jewish families returned to the town and resided on its main street, especially around the beit midrash (house of study and prayer). Under the occupation the Jews were made to perform forced labor. Apparently during this time, a Judenrat (Jewish council) was set up in the town. According to one testimony, in the early spring of 1942 the Germans rounded up some young Jewish men and women under the pretext of sending them to work and then shot them to death. Most probably during that time, a Gestapo unit arrived in the town and collected valuables and money from its Jewish residents. On May 9 (or May 25), 1942 the Jews of Korytnica were shot to death in a pit outside the town. Several Jews who had managed to hide and escape the murder operation were later caught and killed. Korytnica was liberated by the Red Army in July 1944.