Murder Story of Krupki Jews on the Bank of the Starozhevitsa River in Krupki

… About half a kilometer away from the May Kolkhoz there were peat fields, where before the war peat was extracted. There was a pit about 3.5 meters wide. Hitlerites lengthened this pit by 30 meters. At the end of September 1941… all the Jewish population from the town of Krupki, numbering 1,356 people, was brought there. This number is absolutely accurate. Although I had no idea where so many Jews were taken and for what purpose, the terrifying sight by itself made me shiver. I barely overcame my fear, and without my mother’s knowledge I ran through the thick forest along the river’s bank to the place where Jews were brought. The trees shielded me from all sides, and nobody could see me. But I saw everything. The Jews stood near the open peat pits. Germans ordered two of the Jews to bring a wide board and to place it between the two edges of the pit. One of the fascists approached the people and pointed his finger at those who must go out first. Ten Jews stepped forward, among them a woman with two children. She carried one of them, who was ten or eleven months old, in one hand, and held the second child, who was around three years old, by the other hand. On the order of the Germans, ten Jews who stood 20 meters away from the pit were told to step forward, to a distance of several meters away, to undress and remain in their underwear (the Germans loaded their clothes on the truck). At that time, another German approached to woman, seized the infant by his legs and snatched him out of her hands; he also pulled the elder boy away. At the same time, the first German ordered the ten Jews to stand on the board that was laid on the pit. When other people saw it all, the bloodcurdling cries began. Ten Jews had to go ahead. From the two sides of the pit, Germans urged them with the rifles in their hands. They stood with their backs to the murderers. The officer raised his hand, and all ten fascists aimed their weapons. The officer let his hand drop and a volley was fired. I watched as the nine Jews and the woman fell into the pit. Only one elder man remained standing on his legs. He turned toward the fascist hangmen. The officer raised his hand again and all ten rifles were raised. He let his hand drop, and the second volley was heard. The elder fell on his shoulder, stretched out his right hand and fell off into the pit. When all ten Jews were shot, one of the hangmen seized the infant’s legs and struck his head against something, and then threw him like a chicken into the pit. He smeared the elder boy’s face with a rag that he took from a nearby bucket. The boy at once threw back his head and fell unconscious. Then the fascists had seized him by his legs, span him around in the air, and threw him into the pit. After the end of this part of their “work,” the first fascist approached the crowded Jews, and again began pointing fingers at those who must step forward. I wanted to escape, not wanting to watch this horror again, but my legs failed me. I stayed there, as if I was chained to the ground. When I could finally run home, I was very frightened and could not say a word. I began to stutter. To this very day, I am a stutterer …