Murder Story of Ivankov Jews at the Berezina Maslyakova Tract

…They noticed some animation among the Jews, many of whom were standing near the poles and fences and reading the order of the German command. According to the "Fuehrer’s order," all the Jews living in Ivankov and in the other cities and towns would be taken to their homeland, Palestine. They were ordered to gather at 12 [noon] at the fire department; there transportation would be waiting for them. They were not to take many belongings with them, only their best ones - in order not to overload the vehicles. Enough food was to be taken for one day. [The order was signed] by the German commandant. At 12 the vehicles stood ready and waiting. The town mayor was in a hurry: he showed the Jews his watch and shouted at Moisei Peisakhovich “What are you spinning around like fly in holy water, do you think the train at Borodyanka will wait especially for you?”-“I am ready now, I just have to bring my son Yirikhim.” They, Moisei Peisakhovich, his sons, and grandchildren, were among the first on the vehicle. Elia Ermak, the son of a glazier who was murdered at Zaprutka [Zaprudka], sat next to them. “How do you like that?”, said Moisei Peisakhovich, “In our old age we will be in Palestine”-“Who knows what they plan to do with us?”-replied Elia-“We will rejoice when we will get there, in the meantime we are inthe hands of the Germans”…The mayor told the rest of the Jews to take seats in the vehicles as long as there were still empty seats; otherwise they would have to walk to the station on foot. Three German vehicles were completely filled with Jews. The mayor went outside and was greeted by Golubenko [the chief of the Ivankov County auxiliary police], who told him that there were 180 people on the vehicles. The mayor quietly ordered Golubenko to get onto the last vehicle and to return quickly with empty vehicles to pick up the rest [of the Jews]. The soldiers guarding the pit noticed from afar the vehicles with the Jews, then took all of them to the pit…They rushed them to the pit and started to push them roughly into it. Many started to go down... on their own. In the course of several minutes 5 soldiers shot all of them… The people arriving on the vehicles clearly heard the shooting… When the vehicles started to turn right toward the pits, all of them realized that had had been brought there to be killed. The people raised such a terrible, inhuman cry that it was heard in Ivankov itself. The executioners themselves became scared. They quickly opened the sides [of the trucks] and started to pull them [the Jews] down from the vehicles and to throw them to the ground… Some [of the victims] were still waiting for some miracle, but a miracle did not take place. Everyone was ordered to strip to his underwear. A German approached Moisei Peisakhovich and tore off his overcoat, suit, and boots. Standing only in his underwear, he said to everyone: “Good people! Forgive me, my friends, for misleading you before death, because of me all of us will die.” Then he shouted "Shma Yisrael," in a voice not his own, and fell to the ground dead from a heart attack. Naum Braginskiy with his wife Marusya, who was about to give birth any day, together with their daughter Nina, were the first to be taken to the pit. When the was a short distance from the pit Naum had blood flowings out of his mouth, and he fell into the pit. Seeing how her fellow townspeople were being taken to the pit, Blyuma Byalik rushed at a laughing [German] sergeant and stuck her nails into his face like a cat, and then she has bit his hand. The German lost control and started to groan, but another German stabbed her body with his broad bayonet. All the rest of the Jews were taken in the second trip; they already knew that they were being taken to be murdered. The only son of Braginskiy had lagged behind and was running, without turning to look, to catch up with his relatives. One woman, Katrya, shouted to him: “Boris, do not go there, they will kill you, come to me: you will live with us.” But how could he stay back when the girl he loved, Frida, was going with the others? He caught up with her, while the Germans were wondering why he would voluntarily get mixed up with the others, and he jumped into the moving vehicle. Frida smiled at him with her jet-black eyes, but said nothing as her heart turned to stone. When they started to undress, Frida started to cry [and said]: “Boris, how sorry I am for you and for your youth.” He embraced her and started to kiss her cheeks, her eyes, her head. If only for a moment, before their death, they were happy. A young "Fritz" approached and shot Frida in the back of the head. Boris placed Frida carefully on the ground and jumped on the "Fritz," hitting him several times with his fist in the nose and the eyes. The "Fritz’s" nose started bleeding and his eyes became black. Then he [Boris] threw him down and started to choke him. The Germans who rushed there were afraid to shoot Boris because they were afraid of killing thei German, who was lying under him. Only with great effort did they manage to pull him [Boris] away from the "Fritz." They managed to pull his hands loose only after he was struck heavily with a rifle butt on the head. At 5 p.m. it was all over with all of the Jews….