Murder story of Mielnica Jews at the Slaughterhouse in the Mielnica Area

… 8 days later [i.e. on July 15, 1941] Gestapo officers came to the house of the Polish school principal and together they drove to the slaughterhouse, that was located about a kilometer and a half from the town. Near the slaughterhouse they found pits that were ready since they had been used for the burial of animals. According to a predetermined plan, at night the principal of the school sent several of his non-Jewish friends to prepare the pits near the slaughterhouse. [Meanwhile] notices were posted on the streets ordering all Jewish males to report the next morning at 6 a.m. to the police station … . [The poster said:] "Those Jews who do not report will be killed!" The Jews sensed that a great disaster was about to take place, and only a few of them reported to the police station. The Germans came in two trucks and saw that only a handful of Jews had reported. They called for German reinforcements, who came with dozen of trucks equipped with machine-guns and imposed a curfew on the Jewish streets. A hunt after the Jews began in their houses; they were forced to go to the police station. During these hours there were many Jews praying at the beit midrash, [the place of Torah study]. The Germans entered the beit midrash and took the Jews, who were wearing their prayer shawls and phylacteries, out to the street and, with rifle butts, they [the Germans] made them run to the police station. While passing near his house, one Jew wanted to enter and take some clothes- the Germans killed him on the spot. … 300 Jews were collected in the yard next to the police station: they were placed in rows barefoot, and all their documents were taken from them and burned in front of them. Misha Davidov, the Ukrainian head of the town, asked the Gestapo men to leave alive several [Jewish] craftsmen needed to perform work for the town's non-Jews. The Gestapo men responded to his request and released about 20 Jews… . The Germans also released several rich Jews who several days previously had given them gold and silver.… Trucks arrived and the Jews were loaded onto them. 20 Jews were loaded onto the first truck. They were taken to the slaughterhouse; there they were stripped naked and taken out the back door – through a narrow way directly to the pits that were prepared there. The Germans made the Jews perform gymnastic exercises and dance with each other until they were exhausted, and then they shot them to death. That was [also] the fate of the Jews who arrived [at the site] on other trucks. In the last group were Avraham Basiuk and Avraham Vaintrub. The first pleaded with the Germans not to kill him, [promising that] he would give them all his property. But all his pleas did not help and he was killed on the spot. Avraham Vaintrub jumped out of the pit that was filled with bodies, attacked a Gestapo man who was standing nearby, and harmed him, breaking some of his teeth. At that moment he was struck by a bullet shot by one of the murderers. It was on July 16, 1941 when 300 Jews were killed.…