Murder story of Spitsevka Jews in the Spitsevka Area (Gas Vans)

During the German occupation of the Spitsevsky County, I lived on 18 Krasnaya Street, three houses from the school, which was in the center of the county. On December 18, 1942, I watched, from my window, armed policemen on horseback escorting two horse-drawn carts overloaded with people – children, women, and elderly. The faces of the people were full of fear and sadness. I went out and saw a great number of horse carts, as well as many people who were bringing their belongings to the school under the watchful eyes of the heavily armed guards. On December 19, 1942, at four AM, I went out into the street and heard harsh cries. I approached the fence of the school; I could hear the screams of women, the crying of children, and the sounds of an engine. Realizing that something terrible was going on at the school, I ran home. In the morning, everyone knew of the deaths of 174 peaceful citizens – elderly people, women, and children – tortured by the German villains. There were old shoes, boots, and torn clothes scattered around the school building. These articles exuded an atmosphere of horror and fear.

One day in December 1942, at dawn, harsh screams, shouts, and the sound of inhuman weeping came out of the school building. Upon hearing it, I went out and saw that a large vehicle had come up to the school. It looked like a bus, but without windows. It was covered with a tarpaulin, and there was a strange device above the engine.… Filled with trepidation, I beheld an awful scene: Policemen and German soldiers were forcing and pushing the frightened people into the vehicle, while the people screamed and cursed the abominable fascist monsters. When the vehicle was full, its doors were closed, but screams and moans were still coming out of them. Afterward, the vehicle drove out of the village. I cannot say how many trips it made. It was hard for me to watch this horrible, wild, and bloody scene, the way the German dogs and their collaborators treated the civilians.