Murder story of Krzemieniec Jews in the Prison in Krzemieniec

In the first days of July 1941, after the bodies of Ukrainian prisoners had been found by the Germans, who blamed the Jewish residents of Krzemieniec for killing them, a pogrom staged by some Ukrainian militia members and other local residents of the town and its surrounding and incited by the Germans broke out. The rioters looted Jewish houses and abducted hundreds of Jewish men from their houses and on the street -- under the pretext of their mobilization for work -- and took them to the town prison. In the prison, while being tortured and beaten, the Jewish men had to wash the bodies of the Ukrainian prisoners. Then the Germans forced the Jews to dig graves for themselves inside the prison compound and to lie down in them. The Germans then shot the men to death. According to some testimonies, some of the victims were buried alive. During this murder operation between 400 and 800 Jewish men were killed. The pogrom lasted for three days until the Germans ordered the killing to be stopped. After the two-day mass murder operation directed against Krzemieniec Jews on August 10 and 11, 1942, in order to facilitate the finding of Jews who were in hiding, the Germans and Ukrainian lured the Jews out of hiding by claiming to assure their safety. Many Jews compiled, but were collected and taken to the prison. After these Jews had been forced to bury many bodies that were scattered throughout the ghetto, they were all were killed in the prison yard. About August 20, 200 Jewish tailors were taken from the village of Bialokrynica, where they had been kept to the prison. On September 2 or 9, 1942 several hundred Jews who had been still hiding in the ghetto set it on fire to cover their escape. They were subsequently captured and shot to death, apparently at the local prison. On the same day, 120 Jewish tailors who had been kept in prison were shot to death. Later, the remaining Jewish artisans, apparently including some cooperative workers, were shot to death in the same place. On October 22 or 23 a last group of 21 Jewish artisans were transferred from Bialokrynica to the prison and shot to death there on their arrival. In the following days and weeks some Jews who had been found in hiding were held in the prison until they were all shot to death.