Krolevets

The earliest written reference to the presence of Jews in Krolevets dates to the 16th century. Under the rule of the Polish kings, the Jews became an essential part of the economic and mercantile life of the town. Later, the town came under the rule of the Russian Empire. By 1910, the number of local Jews had grown to 4,176, out of a total population of 16,645. During the Russian Civil War, Krolevets was wracked by several pogroms. However, despite these horrific events, the town was still home to approximately 1,304 Jews in 1926. By 1939, the number of Jews in Krolevets had dropped to 619, out of a total of 13,595 residents (i.e., about 3.2 percent of the total population). German troops occupied Krolevets on September 4, 1941. On November 3 that year, the town's Jews were forced to do hard labor and wear a white armband on their left arm. The Germans abused and humiliated the Jews on the streets of the town. The SS ordered the town's Jews to show up at the local police station on November 26, 1941, bringing their valuables along with them. On that day, seventy-three Jewish civilians were murdered at the Gayevoye Provalye ravine, on the outskirts of the town. The Red Army liberated Krolevets on September 1, 1943.