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Murder story of Klesow Jews in the Klesów Area
Murder Site
Klesów Area
Poland
Several days after the murder of the Jews of Klesów in the Poleska camp forest, a handful of Jews who had managed to escape from Sarny back to Klesów, along with some Jews who had hidden during the roundup of the ghetto inmates on August 26, 1942, were caught in hiding. After being arrested, they were taken to a sandy area on the northeastern outskirts of the town, where they were shot dead by members of the Ukrainian police (under the command of Vasiliy Kryzhanovskiy). The victims were buried at the site.
Related Resources
ChGK Soviet Reports
Grigoriy Kolbasa, who was born in 1913 and lived in Klesów during the war years, testifies:
…Several days later [i.e., after the deportation and massacre of the Jews of Klesów], some Jews [who had managed] to run away from Sarny [back to Klesów], as well as some who hadn't been caught during the roundup of August 26, were arrested by the police and shot dead in the square beyond the town. Their bodies were buried in the sand. Some 15 people were shot in this operation....
GARF, MOSCOW R-7021-71-52 copy YVA M.33 / JM/19975
Sofia Boyarchuk, who was born in 1907 and lived in Klesów during the war years, testifies:
…After the Jews [of Klesów] had been taken to Sarny, Vasiliy Kryzhanovskiy [the chief of the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police]… would catch those [Jews] who had managed to escape and shoot them on the spot. In this way, 15 Jews were shot dead by Kryzhanovskiy.…
GARF, MOSCOW R-7021-71-52 copy YVA M.33 / JM/19975
The ChGK report from Klesów
…Afterward [i.e., after the murder of the Jews of Klesów in the Tutowicze Forest near Sarny, the Germans] would repeatedly take away the people [Jews who had been caught hiding] and bring them to the eastern outskirts of Klesów, where they [the victims] were killed.…
GARF, MOSCOW R-7021-71-52 copy YVA M.33 / JM/19975
Vladislav Borko, who was born in 1903 and lived in Klesów during the war years, testifies:
…Several days later [after the murder of the Jews of Klesów in Sarny], the [Ukrainian Auxiliary] Police began a systematic search for those Jews who had either escaped [from Klesów] or managed to avoid the roundup of August 26, 1942. These Jews were taken to a sandy area outside the town, in the northeastern section [of the town], where they were shot dead and buried in the sand. As many as 30 people were killed there.…
GARF, MOSCOW R-7021-71-52 copy YVA M.33 / JM/19975
Klesów Area
Murder Site
Poland
51.316;26.883