Murder story of Velizh Jews in the Pigsty in the Velizh Ghetto

December 18, 1958: In January 1941, I do not remember the date, when units of the Soviet [Red] Army were approaching Velizh, the Germans and the police liquidated the camp, along with the Jews. At that time I lived about 60 meters from Zhgutovskaya Street, where the camp for the Jews was located. One afternoon, after lunch time, I was at home and noticed a fire. The former pigsty was burning. Then houses on Zhgutovskya Street were set ablaze. I understood that members of a murder squad had begun annihilating the Jews. I went out to the yard and observed what was going on. I saw Jews running out of the burning buildings while the Germans and the police were shooting them from different directions. There were screams and groans. It was impossible to imagine such a terrible scene. The pigsty and the houses burned fast. The bodies of the Jews who had been shot remained lying in the snow.

May 14, 1959: On the morning of January 28, 1941 we heard the sound of shooting, of explosions that came from the outskirts of town. Around 5 o'clock the pigsty doors were covered with boards either by policemen or by Germans, we couldn't tell. The pigsty was doused with some flammable liquid and set on fire.