Twerdynie Road Related Communities
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Murder Story of Kisielin Jews on the Twerdynie Road
Murder Site
Twerdynie Road
Poland
In mid-August 1942 German and Ukrainian police surrounded the ghetto. Around this time, local residents were forced to dig a large pit outside the town. Some Jews managed to escape from the ghetto before the guard was increased, and others hid inside the ghetto. On the third day, August 15 or 16, the remaining Jews of Kisielin were taken from the ghetto, loaded in groups onto trucks by a Gestapo unit, and transported to the killing site located north-west of town, on the road leading to the village of Twerdynie. Upon their arrival at the site, the Jews were made to undress and then forced into the pit, where they were shot to death.
Related Resources
ChGK Soviet Reports
From the testimony of Boris Sokol, who was born in 1889 in Kisielin and was living there during its German occupation
… approximately on August 15-16,[1942]a neighbor, Safron Boyarin, came to me … and said that on this day about 500 Jewish residents had been shot to death at a hillock [located] beyond the village of Kisielin. Many trucks with Gestapo men [wearing] swastikas on their sleeves arrived [in the village] and those Gestapo men shot [the Jews] to death. However, I don't know who was [their] commander. I did not visit the [mass] grave. …
GARF, MOSCOW R-7021-55-10 copy YVA M.33 / JM/19691
From the testimony of Mitrofan Guz, who was born in 1882 in Kisielin and was living there during its German occupation
… Approximately on August 15-16 [1942] many trucks with Gestapo men arrived in Kisielin… Thus, the Gestapo men loaded their trucks with Jewish residents from the so-called "ghetto." [The Germans] took [the Jews] to be shot beyond the village of Kisielin, north-west [of the village], where there was a hillock and at this hillock was a pit where they were all taken to be shot to death. Altogether [about] 500-600 Jewish residents were shot to death on that day. I did not go [to see] the grave, but I heard that [it was] 6 meters wide and 16 meters long.…
GARF, MOSCOW R-7021-55-10 copy YVA M.33 / JM/19691
From the testimony of Panteleimon Rabchenko, who was born in 1890 in Kisielin
… on those dates [August 15-16, 1942], in the morning, trucks with Gestapo men arrived [in Kisielin]… and those Gestapo men took the Jews during the day with their trucks to a hillock [located] north of Kisielin, where a pit had been dug, I don't know by whom. There [also] were Jews from [the town of] Ozdiutycze, I don't know their last names. Thus, the Gestapo men drove the Jews in groups of 20-30 [to the murder site] and shot them to death.… On that day [about] 500-550 Jewish residents were shot to death. I don't know what the pit [looked like], and I don't know who covered over the pit.…
GARF, MOSCOW R-7021-55-10 copy YVA M.33 / JM/19691
The ChGK report from Kisielin
… On August 15-16, [1942] a Gestapo [unit], [wearing] black swastika [armbands] on their sleeves, arrived [in town] on trucks … and began to carry out a massacre of the Jewish residents. Thus, they came with their trucks to this "ghetto," loaded the Jews [in groups of] 20-30 onto the trucks, [and] then they [Germans] drive them out of the village, toward a hillock on the way to the village of Twerdynie, and there [the victims] were shot to death. In this way, the Gestapo men shot to death 500-550 Jewish civilians. …
GARF, MOSCOW R-7021-55-10 copy YVA M.33 / JM/19691
Twerdynie Road
Murder Site
Poland
50.866;24.816