Horodziej

Jews began to settle in Horodziej in the 19th Century, and many of them made their living from agriculture. In 1897, the village was home to 688 Jews, comprising 91.2 percent of the total population. In the interwar period, Horodziej was part of Poland. In 1921, there were 796 Jews living in it. In September 1939, World War II broke out, and Horodziej was occupied by the Soviets. By 1941, because of the influx of hundreds of Jewish refugees from the German-occupied areas of western Poland, the Jewish population of the village had grown to more than 1,100. In June 1941, the Soviet-German War began, and German troops entered Horodziej on June 26. Their arrival heralded a slew of anti-Jewish decrees, including the obligatory wearing of an identifying armband by Jews, a prohibition on leaving the village, etc. Forced labor was introduced, and a Jewish council (Judenrat) of twelve members was appointed by the occupiers. Sometime in the fall of 1941, a ghetto was established in Horodziej. On July 18 (or July 17, according to other sources), 1942, the Nazis liquidated the Horodziej Ghetto. The inmates were assembled in the square and subjected to abuse, with some of them being killed on the spot. The survivors were then taken to a disused sand quarry and shot with machine guns. Horodziej was liberated by the Red Army on July 4, 1944.