Murder story of Beresteczko Jews in the Racibrowski Yard

…. About a month after the outbreak of the war [between the USSR and Germany] SS men or Gestapo men … arrived in Beresteczko and, with the assistance of many Ukrainian [auxiliary] policemen, collected near the [town's] castle about 300 Jews, males between the ages of 14 and 65 -- under the pretext that they were going to be sent to work, but immediately they [the Jews] were forced to dig a large pit [grave] for themselves. All of them were killed by shooting and buried in the pit. I would have been among those men but, since I knew all those [Ukrainian auxiliary] policemen (who included people for whom we would repair bicycles and do other jobs), they took me away from there and hid me. … I should stress that the 300 [Jewish males] who were buried near the castle included the following members of our family: Chaim Taitelman (Maya's husband), my uncle Berl Vebrik, and his son Hilik…

Approximately a year before the final destruction of the [Jewish] community of Beresteczko on Friday, on the eve of the Sabbath … Gestapo men arrived on eight trucks in Beresteczko and parked in the Racibrowski yard. They opened an office and a typist was put at their disposal. The Jews of the town were brought before them, especially the young ones and they [the Germans] registered their ages and occupations. I was among them [those collected]. After the registration, everybody was made to sit near the stairs of the building and it was forbidden to leave the site. Seventy were selected out of the 300 Jews who had been collected and registered, …. . Thirty five out of the 70 were ordered to dig a big pit and, when they got tired from this work, they were replaced with others from among the 70. The pit was dug in front of the island [of the river], behind the building in the Racibrowski yard. And when all 70 were tired, [the Germans] took away for work some of the hundreds of people who had been left. I and David Bickeman were among the last 15 who were taken for work. … I worked until the digging of the pit ended. … [Afterward] the Gestapo men ordered us to empty our pockets, and those who had cigarettes were allowed to smoke. We were lined up in groups of three. Gedaliya [his brother in-law] took hold of my hand and said: "I won't leave you, we will lie together" [in the pit]. Aharon Kolton was standing on my left.… I was in the seventh row. The first 12 were taken from the rows, positioned near the pit, and shot to death; and then [their bodies] were thrown into the pit. Since the murderers placed their pistols close to the heads of the people [their victims], the echos of the shots were not heard, even from nearby. The Ukrainians [Ukrainian auxiliary policemen] helped the Germans.… They were armed. At the massacre square in the Racibrowski yard the Ukrainians also helped the Nazi murderers in all their deeds [there]. They guarded the Jews so they couldn’t escape. This time also, each time the Ukrainianstook groups of three from the rows and positioned them near the pit. When they got to me, an Ukrainian named Tratyak, who knew me, came to take me. I said to him: "Are you out of your mind? Are you going to take me?" He left me and took Aharon Kolton instead. Aharon refused to go, so he was dragged to the pit and shot to death there. Dozens of people were killed. When we saw that there was no other way [to stay alive], and that one could not rely on the local Ukrainians, I shouted: "Why are we just standing doing nothing?!". Panic ensued, [people] began running from the rows. The Ukrainians began to beat the Jews whom they had caught and shoot those [Jews] who were runnin. During the commotion I lost my brother-in-law Gedaliya. I ran to the mill and entered the water. Under the mill, in the water, I found Gedaliya. We embraced, our feelings were overwhelming…. We learned that out of the 300 Jews who had been taken to the Racibrowski yard, [only] 35 had managed to escape. During my initial escape, I saw many bodies on trees and fences; they were those of Jews who had been shot trying to escape.…