Demidowka

Jews probably lived in Demidówka from the late 18th century. In 1897, under the rule of the Russian Empire, the Jewish population of the town stood at 679. After World War I, Demidówka was incorporated into the independent Polish republic. In 1921, 595 Jews lived in Demidówka, comprising roughly forty-six percent of its total population. Most of the local Jews were artisans or petty merchants. Many Zionist parties were active in the town, including their youth organizations (Hashomer Hatzair, HeHalutz Hatzair). A HeHalutz training commune also existed in Demidówka. After September 17, 1939, with the arrival of the Red Army in the town following the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, Demidówka became part of Soviet Ukraine. In mid-1941, there were apparently some 700 Jews living in the town. The Germans occupied Demidówka on June 24, 1941. During the first week of the occupation, seven young Jews were shot dead for being members of the Komsomol (the Communist Party youth organization). Shortly afterward, the first requisitions of Jewish property and valuables began. During this time, Jews were ordered to wear distinctive symbols on their clothing. The Germans established a five-member Judenrat (Jewish council), headed by Eliahu Titelboym, and a Jewish police force. The local Jews suffered from severe shortages of food. One of the Judenrat's functions was the distribution of the limited supplies of flour it received from the German authorities. However, local Ukrainians robbed the Jews of these flour rations, as well as their money. Forced labor was imposed on the Jews, who were put to work on farms and in peat bogs, while some men were sent to work on the estate of Count Liudochowski in the village of Smordwa. In the spring of 1942 (or, according to another testimony, in November or December 1941) a ghetto was set up in the town. It was fenced off with boards, and topped with barbed wire. On October 8, 1942, this ghetto was liquidated, and its inmates were shot dead by a German unit at the Griner Grove, outside of town. More than 100 Jews, mainly young ones, were able to avoid this massacre by hiding. Of this number, fifty were found and shot dead in Demidówka, apparently later that same month. Afterward, several dozen more Jews were captured and shot. Demidówka was liberated by the Red Army on March 18, 1944.