Murder story of Brody Jews at the Brody Castle

…In December 1942, I went to Brody alone, to see if it was possible to hide…. The next day, when I left my home, I found myself surrounded. Ukrainian auxiliary policemen, SS men, and Judenrat members were dragging men, women, and children into trucks, and I was seized along with them. Seeing that there was no chance of resistance or escape, I entered [the truck] on my own, thereby avoiding the blows [of the guards]. We were taken in three trucks out of the town, into a grove called Zamek. There, we were ordered to dig graves, and then to strip naked, while they prepared to shoot us with machine guns. I wrapped my possessions into a bundle and put my trust in God’s mercy, believing that the blessing of Rabbi Duril Zi” a [?] would save me. It was winter, December. We all stood naked in the bitter cold. Sturmfuehrer (Lieutenant) Worzog [?] was in charge of the operation. Suddenly, the machine guns began to fire. I was among the first to drop into the grave, whereupon I passed out. The murder operation took place at a very late hour, so the grave remained open overnight. During the night, I regained consciousness. I felt that I was unhurt. I began to extricate myself from the pile of dead bodies. First, I pulled out my arm, while other survivors helped me out of the grave. The others rummaged through the burned clothing and found something to cover themselves with, while I found my bundle. I was one of six survivors, three men and three women…. We escaped deep into the forest….