Murder Story of Kozhanka Jews on the Kozhanka Soccer Field

On Thursday, July 24 [sic], 1941, my father and I were mowing in the Pivenskoye field. By that time, the peas had ripened. I remember that very well. It was a wonderful, sunny day. All of a sudden, at this early afternoon hour, I heard rifle shots ring out from the direction of Kozhanka. Approximately 20-30 minutes later, terrified people were running across the field, fleeing from Kozhanka. These fugitives were residents of nearby villages who had come to Kozhanka for the weekly market that was held each Thursday in the area of today's stadium (at that time, it also served as a playground). From them, we learned that a shooting was being carried out. Innocent civilians from the Kozhanka village were being killed, solely because of their Jewish origin, before the eyes of the villagers who had come to the market.… Some of the victims were classmates whom I had known from school, while others were their family members. I have preserved their names in my memory. Here they are: 1. Faina Faybushenko 2. Esya Faybushenko – daughter of Faina, a classmate of mine 3. Emma Faybushenko – daughter of Faina 4. Boris Faybushenko – son of Faina... ………. 29 Lenochka Ocheretyanska 30. (Rivka) Berchikha…