Murder story of Rowne Jews in the Sosenki Forest

(Part I) On the fifth of November 1941, there appeared an order on the building of the Judenrat that those who did not possess work cards had to assemble the following day on Lisa Kuli Street, taking with them everything they wanted for their evacuation outside the Równe city limits. It was promised that special automobiles would be provided for pregnant women, children, and the sick and the elderly. We were warned that if we did not show up at 6 AM [on November 7], we would be killed. The people were completely unprepared for what was to come. No one knew of any kind of Aktion, and everyone reported to the meeting place. 17,500 people were prepared for relocation. On that day, anyone who possessed work cards was released from work, and under penalty of death they were not allowed to go out on the streets. If the head of the family possessed a work card, then he had the right to keep with him his wife and two children, but the third child would be required to report to the meeting place. Some walked along with their children, even though they possessed a work card. Others hid their children. And a few others passed their children off to be cared for by others. Once everyone reported to the meeting spot, SS patrols walked from house to house like bandits, wielding axes, revolvers and flamethrowers. They ransacked the houses, plundered what they could, and where they found someone hiding without a work card they dragged them out of the house and killed them. If there was a third child hidden, without thinking they shot him. I was a witness to what happened in a house across the road belonging to the Tsytryna family where they found a third child of eight months, the sister of Tsytryna, who had gone to the meeting place by herself and did not want to take her child with her because it was already cold and snow was already accumulating in some spots. At that moment the Germans as a punishment took Tsytryna's own son, and with no regard for the father's pleas, they threw him face down onto the ground and shot him. When this order [to assemble at Grabnik Square on November 7] appeared on the walls, people lost their heads. They began to feel a premonition that something bad was going to happen. Even so, no one could have imagined the total tragedy that was awaiting them. People ran to the Judenrat, but it was closed. Panic spread among the Jews, along with crying and fear. Some tried to escape from the city, but all the roads were blocked off by the army.… People walked with their bags, blankets, and bedding; [they carried extra] clothing for children, and anything else that they felt was essential. Some tried to conceal themselves in hiding spots, while others asked friends what they should do. The people were completely disoriented. In our house, there was a dilemma: My family did not want to stay with me because there were rumors that all craftsmen would be sent off to the heart of Germany. Thus, they preferred to go because they thought that they would be sent off to a camp in Szapkowa, which was about 10 kilometers away from Rovno. Even though my mother was sick at that time,… she composed herself and left along with my father and sister and 14-year-old younger brother. My younger brother was so beautiful and mature that he looked like he was 16 years old, and he begged me to allow him to stay with me. But because he was too young to get a work card of his own, I was afraid that, if they came and found him without a card, they would shoot him. The parting was awful because our family was very close to each other, and we did not want to separate. Even though my mother did not foresee the horrific events to come, it was difficult for her to leave me alone. She advised me to stay, because she believed that maybe I would then have a better chance of surviving because I was young and strong. And that is how they all went. Everyone prepared himself for the journey, taking with them what they could. The weather was horrible, far worse than normal at that time of year. In the early morning, it was windy, snowing with rain and cold. The people walked down the streets in long lines from every street, carrying all of their belongings and their children. An elderly man wearing his tallit [(Jewish prayer shawl)] walked with his wife, a cane in his hand. The older Jews took their bags with them down the street, carrying them like packages. In the houses, the people bid their farewells with those who stayed behind….

(Part II) At Grabnik Square, on the commons by Lisa Kuli Street, there gathered some 17,500 people. Some 30 [of these] people were [eventually] able to escape, and tell what happened there. People stood or sat in the rain and snow, or in the mud until 11 AM, at which time [Reichskommissar] Erich Koch arrived with a group of his SS men and Dr. Besrem [i.e. Dr. Beer] from the Governor's office. [Koch approached] a lectern that had been placed in the square to give a speech. The lying bastard told the people that the relocation could be averted if the Jews gave up all of their valuables and money. A gate was set up, in front of which [the Germans] placed a box. Everything was done with a German touch for perfection. The people had to walk past the gate and give up all of their valuables under penalty of death. So they gave up everything so as to not get shot. When everyone had walked by, they announced a second time: that the Jews must give up everything that they brought with them, even packages and suitcases, after which they would be allowed to return home. Numerous things were added, and the mound with these things grew by the minute. When [the Jews] had been robbed of everything, a battalion of armed "hero" SS men arrived. They began to separate out the children, the young and the old, saying that the children and the elderly would be transported in trucks. Not everyone gave up their children. After the separation, the SS men began to push the older people forcefully. Not too far from this gathering place, there was a forest. In these woods, trenches had been dug a few meters apart. Machine guns had been hidden near these trenches. The children were forcibly pushed alone in a different direction, thrown into the trenches along with grenades, and then covered with dirt. From the recollections of the local Ukrainians – [ethnic] Poles and some [Jews] who, by some miracle, had been able to escape this massacre – the ground was still moving under the dirt: Many of the children had been buried alive. The elders were then forcibly pushed along by soldiers wielding Tommy guns, "Jude lauf" – "Run, Jew!" Those who did not run fast were shot. Some ran a kilometer or two, while others, who heard the shots, stopped and said that they did not care either way, and these, too, were shot. By the evening, the German heroes began the shooting. They lit up the entire area with floodlights and shot into the defenseless crowd. The shooting lasted all night and into the next day, until noon. A few dozen [Jews] managed to escape the massacre. I know five people who escaped. One of them told me he had escaped with his wife and child, that at a certain point he had told them to lie down on the ground and to play dead. A moment later, they felt bodies fall on top of them. On top of him fell a bloodied woman who had been shot. They lay there under the dead for the whole night. Then, the SS men began to stomp with their boots on the lying dead, and began to beat the bodies with sticks to make sure that no one would cry out. When someone did cry out, he was finished off. My friend was hit with a stick, but he did not make a sound. But when the SS men beat his wife, she brought her child closer to her without thinking, which made the child cry. The SS man fired off a round of shots and killed [my friend's] wife and child. He lay under the bodies for two days. On the third day, he crawled out and ran back home. Another friend lay in a ditch for two days….

…On November 5, [1941], large notices were hung all over the ghetto [sic], stating: "Those who don't have work permits have to report on the following morning at the appointed place, with all the belongings they can carry." The goal of this decree was to send people [away to their deaths] and cause destruction…. Some 18,000 Jews of Równe, young and old, men and women – whole families with their children and possessions – assembled in the city park.… Among them were some holders of [work] permits who didn't want to be separated from their families. All day long, the people stood, shivering in the cold wind and snow. Eventually, they were taken to a pleasant pine grove outside the city [i.e., Sosenki] and exterminated. Among those assembled were the city rabbis, Rabbi Moshe Rotenberg and Rabbi Ma-Yafit [Maiofis].… Both rabbis went with their flock to their doom. Rabbi Ma-Yafit spoke before the congregation in front of the pits, giving succor to the people in their final hour.… The mass graves – the pits that [people] had been talking about in the city – were ready. There were many armed guards around, ensuring that no one escaped from the encircled area. The Nazis pulled out their weapons. The people were driven toward the pits in groups, and fell into them under the hail of bullets – the dead and the wounded alike.… It appears that the Germans had chosen the Day of the Russian Revolution for the extermination of the Jews of Równe in order to emphasize the connection between the Revolution and the Jews. This date is symbolic to us [the survivors]....

(Part I) ...One day, [the Germans] announced that there would be no more registration [for the work permits]. In the evening, there was a big announcement that all the Jews [of Równe] who had no documents (work permits…) were to report on the following morning to Lisa-Kuli Square. This was a big square in the center of the city. Those who tried to hide and refused to come [to the assembly point] would be caught and executed.… On the same day, when the decree had been issued, my little brother visited me, and I asked him what to do, whether we should run away to [the town of] Klewań. He [Mordechaj] didn't want to go, and said: "If you go [to Klewań], they will execute you." I asked him: "What shall I do then"? And he replied: "Do something, but don't go to Klewań."… So I stayed. I asked my sister's father-in-law what I should do, and he said: "Do whatever you think is best for you." I was afraid to hide, since, if I were to be caught [hiding], I would be executed. So I told [myself] that I would come [to the assembly point] with the other [Jews of Równe]. People were saying that [all the Jews] would be taken to a camp beyond Równe, in the village of Szubków. I packed the best items for myself, as well as several loaves of bread. I also had some money, and I came to Lis-Kuli Square. Jews were approaching [the assembly point] in their multitudes. The weather was rainy and wintry, and it had a depressing effect [on the people]. It was still dark. It looked like the Babylonian Exile. Multitudes of Jews, whose number eventually reached 17,000, came to this square. Right away, we were encircled by the Ukrainians [i.e., Ukrainian auxiliary policemen] and the SS men. The Jews stood there with whatever items they'd managed to bring along. Entire families were assembled. …When I arrived there, I saw a big plot of land with multitudes [of Jews]. Suddenly, I heard some noise and an outburst of joy from the Jews. I asked what was happening, and was told that we were all going home. Before that, the Gebietskommissar [regional commissar – i.e., Dr. Werner Beer] had said in German – it was on the Day of the October Revolution – he said the following: On no other day were you so united as today, and today we have gathered you to celebrate the [October] Revolution Day. His words were greeted with an outburst of joy, [and the Jews] thought that [the Germans] were about to return [everyone] home. Afterward, [the Germans and Ukrainian auxiliary policemen] began to beat and escort the Jews along the road leading to Sosenki [Forest]. Prior to that, we had been told to leave all the items [in the square]. At the time, I still believed that we would indeed be taken to some place where we would stay, so I left those items and asked the SS man if I could take along a loaf of bread. He said yes. We began to move in one very long procession. The SS men, riding on horseback, were [deployed] from both sides [of the column], and the Ukrainians [Ukrainian auxiliary policemen] were also accompanying us from both sides. They still didn't have firearms, and were armed only with sticks. We went by a road that was unfamiliar to me; there was mud, and we were knee-deep in the muck. [On the way], we met some Poles or Ukrainians, I don't know exactly, and we asked them where we were being taken; they replied "to Sosenki." Then I said to those who were nearby: "Jews, you must know that we are about to be executed." When we came to Sosenki, this was like a road between two mountains. When we approached [the shooting site], we saw tents that had been pitched to one side, with the mass graves right next to them. I took a step back, [but] received a blow with a stick on my back: "Where are you going?" I had no choice but to go forward. On the way [to Sosenki], those unable to walk were shot [on the spot]. I remember that, next to me, there was an old woman who couldn't walk, so I took her under my arms and led her to the [murder] site. The Germans positioned people on one side of the hill, and on its other side they placed two rows, one in front of the other, like a street, and the SS men with their bayonets began the execution. [The Jews] had to strip down to their underwear, and then they [the Germans] began [the shooting]. There was one girl – I saw it – and somebody, I don't know who it was, maybe the Gebietskommissar, told her to take off her watch, and she slapped him in the face. I don't know who he was, but he wore a brown Nazi Party uniform, rather than an SS one, so I assume it was the Gebietskommissar, Dr. Beer.

...One day, [the Germans] announced that there would be no more registration [for the work permits]. In the evening, there was a big announcement that all the Jews [of Równe] who had no documents (work permits…) were to report on the following morning to Lisa-Kuli Square. This was a big square in the center of the city. Those who tried to hide and refused to come [to the assembly point] would be caught and executed.… On the same day, when the decree had been issued, my little brother visited me, and I asked him what to do, whether we should run away to [the town of] Klewań. He [Mordechaj] didn't want to go, and said: "If you go [to Klewań], they will execute you." I asked him: "What shall I do then"? And he replied: "Do something, but don't go to Klewań."… So I stayed. I asked my sister's father-in-law what I should do, and he said: "Do whatever you think is best for you." I was afraid to hide, since, if I were to be caught [hiding], I would be executed. So I told [myself] that I would come [to the assembly point] with the other [Jews of Równe]. People were saying that [all the Jews] would be taken to a camp beyond Równe, in the village of Szubków. I packed the best items for myself, as well as several loaves of bread. I also had some money, and I came to Lis-Kuli Square. Jews were approaching [the assembly point] in their multitudes. The weather was rainy and wintry, and it had a depressing effect [on the people]. It was still dark. It looked like the Babylonian Exile. Multitudes of Jews, whose number eventually reached 17,000, came to this square. Right away, we were encircled by the Ukrainians [i.e., Ukrainian auxiliary policemen] and the SS men. The Jews stood there with whatever items they'd managed to bring along. Entire families were assembled. …When I arrived there, I saw a big plot of land with multitudes [of Jews]. Suddenly, I heard some noise and an outburst of joy from the Jews. I asked what was happening, and was told that we were all going home. Before that, the Gebietskommissar [regional commissar – i.e., Dr. Werner Beer] had said in German – it was on the Day of the October Revolution – he said the following: On no other day were you so united as today, and today we have gathered you to celebrate the [October] Revolution Day. His words were greeted with an outburst of joy, [and the Jews] thought that [the Germans] were about to return [everyone] home. Afterward, [the Germans and Ukrainian auxiliary policemen] began to beat and escort the Jews along the road leading to Sosenki [Forest]. Prior to that, we had been told to leave all the items [in the square]. At the time, I still believed that we would indeed be taken to some place where we would stay, so I left those items and asked the SS man if I could take along a loaf of bread. He said yes. We began to move in one very long procession. The SS men, riding on horseback, were [deployed] from both sides [of the column], and the Ukrainians [Ukrainian auxiliary policemen] were also accompanying us from both sides. They still didn't have firearms, and were armed only with sticks. We went by a road that was unfamiliar to me; there was mud, and we were knee-deep in the muck. [On the way], we met some Poles or Ukrainians, I don't know exactly, and we asked them where we were being taken; they replied "to Sosenki." Then I said to those who were nearby: "Jews, you must know that we are about to be executed." When we came to Sosenki, this was like a road between two mountains. When we approached [the shooting site], we saw tents that had been pitched to one side, with the mass graves right next to them. I took a step back, [but] received a blow with a stick on my back: "Where are you going?" I had no choice but to go forward. On the way [to Sosenki], those unable to walk were shot [on the spot]. I remember that, next to me, there was an old woman who couldn't walk, so I took her under my arms and led her to the [murder] site. The Germans positioned people on one side of the hill, and on its other side they placed two rows, one in front of the other, like a street, and the SS men with their bayonets began the execution. [The Jews] had to strip down to their underwear, and then they [the Germans] began [the shooting]. There was one girl – I saw it – and somebody, I don't know who it was, maybe the Gebietskommissar, told her to take off her watch, and she slapped him in the face. I don't know who he was, but he wore a brown Nazi Party uniform, rather than an SS one, so I assume it was the Gebietskommissar, Dr. Beer. ... The execution began. Entire families went [to the execution], got undressed, passed between the two chains of guards… and reached the mass graves. The Germans told [them] to get inside the mass grave and shot them dead with pistols. I saw one person – I don't remember if it was a man or a woman – get out of the mass grave several times and get beaten on the head with a stick. Other incidents took place: Despite what they saw, everyone wanted to be the last, rather than the first [in line], and they began to step back. [As a result], [some] people suffocated. When I saw what was going on, I tore up the Russian money I had… since I didn't want it to fall into their hands. I had a watch, and I broke it. I destroyed all the items that might have been of value to them, and I remained only with the shirt and pants I was wearing. There was one Ukrainian [policeman] I knew. He told me: "Come, I'll take you to the execution." I told him: "Why do you care if I stay alive?", and he let me stay. The killing [of Jews] went on until nightfall. At night, they halted [the shooting], and we [the remaining Jews] began to wander around. Some of the survivors, boys and girls, were my friends. I told one friend: "Let's find some way to escape from here." And he said: "No, I want to rest". I told him: "We'll have plenty of time to rest [in the future]; let's run away from here." I began to walk around. And the [murder] site was big. I approached one familiar Ukrainian [policeman] from the village of Smorgow. I asked him: "Let me go away; what do you care?" He raised his stick, though he didn't hit me, and shouted: "Jew, go away from here!" "If so", I replied, "Tell my parents where I was murdered." The [murder] site was located not far from the main road [the Lwów-Kiev road]. And I told one of my friends: "Let's shout… and start running straight in their [the Germans'] direction; not all of us will be killed; some will die, but others will survive." Of course, the place was abuzz with rumors. Some were saying that we had to hold on until the next morning – and then [the Germans] would stop [the shootings]. Surely, this was an incorrect interpretation [of the reality]. And I began to ponder the right course of action. On the same section of the hill where the mass graves lay, there were some bushes, and I saw a man get into those bushes and dash away. I thought that this was the way out. It began to snow, and this helped me a lot in making good my escape. I put on a white shirt and a pair of underwear that I had found, and I wore them over my clothes to make myself look "whiter." This way, I managed to get inside the bushes without being noticed. When I entered the bushes, I noticed that someone was crawling in front of me. But he had something black on his head, and I couldn't talk to him, since the black [color] might be spotted. Thus, he was crawling before me, and I was following him, and all the time I poured snow on his head to cover [his] black [hair]. No one saw us among the bushes, and it was necessary to pass between two mass graves, and then from one mass grave to a tree. Only two Germans were watching this spot. And it was necessary to time our movements perfectly, to slip by them while they were turning around; I don't know whether the German guard failed to see me – he was maybe 3 meters away from me – or whether he saw me, but didn't care. I was already prepared; I lay down waiting for the bullet to hit me, but he [the German guard] moved away. I didn't look at anything; I was already on the hill at the end of the mountain, and then I got up and began to run. I entered a small forest. When I entered the forest, I met the second Jew; we hugged and kissed and began to plan our course of action. I didn't know the area. I came out [of the forest]. This little forest lay close to the main road, the Lwów-Kiev road. We didn't want to move during the night, since we might attract suspicion, and we were frozen with cold, so we approached the window of one Ukrainian [residence]. I knocked on the window and asked to be let in. They looked through the window, saw us, and began to shout: "Jews, run away from here!"… We saw a group of trucks that had been destroyed in the fighting. We entered one vehicle and waited. When the morning came, I went out. The clothes were frozen on me, and I looked like I was wearing a slip. [At that moment], I saw a Ukrainian driving toward Równe – it was 7 kilometers from Równe – and I asked him to give me a ride. He agreed, without knowing anything….