Wlodzimierzec

There were Jews living in Włodzimierzec in the 17th Century. In 1897, when the town was under the rule of the Russian Empire, Jews made up about 49 percent of its total population, which stood at 2,074.

After World War I, Włodzimierzec was incorporated into the Second Polish Republic.

In 1921, the town was home to 1,263 Jews, who comprised 43 percent of its total population. In the interwar period, local Jews made their living from petty trade and the crafts; some owned small food-processing plants.

The Zionist parties and their youth movements (such as HeHalutz, Hashomer Hatzair, and Beitar) were active in Włodzimierzec, and several local Jews were members of the clandestine Communist Party. For a brief period, the town had a Hebrew-language school.

Following the great fire of 1934, many of the Jews of Włodzimierzec either moved to the large cities or left Poland altogether, with some immigrating to Mandatory Palestine.

After September 17, 1939, in the aftermath of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Red Army arrived in Włodzimierzec, which now became part of Soviet Ukraine. The town experienced an influx of Jews who had escaped from Nazi-occupied central and western Poland.

Under Soviet rule, private businesses were nationalized. In late 1939, a Soviet Yiddish-language school was opened in the town.

By mid-1941, Włodzimierzec was home to an estimated 1,500 Jews.

Four days after the German invasion on June 22, 1941, some 500 young men from the town, Jews and non-Jews, were called up for military service. They were sent to the town of Sarny and organized into a battalion. As the Red Army retreated, the battalion was taken prisoner by German forces. The Jews were then separated from the other POWs and murdered.

Following the retreat of the Red Army, a period of anarchy ensued in the town. At this time, a mob of local Ukrainians carried out a pogrom, abusing and robbing Jews, and killing two who tried to resist. The looting went on until the arrival of the German forces.

The Germans occupied the town on July 17, 1941. At first, the German authorities registered the Jews. They then ordered them to wear distinctive markings (initially armbands with the Star of David; later replaced with a yellow patch on their chests and backs). Jews also had to mark their residences with a blue Star of David. They were prohibited from leaving the town boundaries. A Jewish Council (Judenrat) was established, with Yakov Eisenberg as its head. A Jewish police unit was set up, as well. Jews were required to pay ransoms in money and goods, and perform forced labor (such as street cleaning, road repairs, and work at the sawmill) in and near the town.

In December 1941, the Jews were ordered to hand over their fur garments and pay another ransom – in textile fabrics, jewelry, winter coats, gold, and Russian rubles.

In late April 1942, immediately after Passover, the German authorities established an "open ghetto" in Włodzimierzec. Jews from the surrounding smaller communities were also driven out of their homes and forced into the ghetto. An estimated 3,000 Jews were concentrated in the ghetto area. A soup kitchen was established in the ghetto, since the inmates suffered from malnutrition.

The Włodzimierzec Ghetto was liquidated on August 28, 1942, and the majority of its inmates were shot outside the town, in the Żołkinie Forest, by German units that were assisted by the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police.

Hundreds of Jews who had escaped this murder operation were caught and murdered in the Żołkinie Forest over the following days.

Włodzimierzec was liberated by the Red Army on January 12, 1944.