Murder Story of Gorodnya Jews in Prison No. 4 in Gorodnya

… On December 20, 1941 the civilians whose names appear on the list below were arrested on the order of Elke, the German commander-in-chief of the county gendarmerie, were taken first to prison in the town of Gorodnya, from which they were taken under guard in the morning in small groups and then immediately brutally shot in the center of town in front of the stone walls of the prison. Dripping blood, children fell to the ground before the eyes of their parents and parents - before the eyes of their children, at the hands of the merciless murderers…. 18. Raya Zinger, age 60, Jewish, housewife 19. Dveyra Serebryanaya, age 60, Jewish….

… On December 20, 1941 Jewish families from Gorodnya were arrested by Gorodnya police and Hungarian soldiers, on order of the German commander in chief of the Gorodnya County gendarmerie, Elke. On the morning of December 20 of that year policemen took about 75 Jewish families, including babies, young boys and girls, and old people to the town’s prison no. 4. All of those innocent civilians were put into the prison. When representatives of the German commander’s office and high-ranking policemen arrived, the innocent people were taken under guard out of the prison either singly or in small groups. Next to the brick wall of the prison the fascist murderers shot the children, women, and old people with machine-guns. One could hear the groans, the cries for mercy, the sobbing, and the loud wailing of people being killed by the murderers and their helpers. Enjoying this horrible scene, the German officers and policemen mockingly laughed about their establishment of the new order they had introduced. [In the case of] Praskovya Murinson and her two children age 4 and 6 [the witness can testify]: the murderers first shot Praskovya Murinson in front of her children, who were crying and asking about their mother. They continued to abuse the Murinson boy of 4 years old, ordering him to run. The boy was shot eight times and died screaming next to the body of his mother. The Murinson girl had the same fate as her mother and brother. Anna Tsirulnik was forced to undress before she was shot and her sweater and watch were taken [by one of the murderers]. The 19-year old girl pleaded that her life be spared, shouting: “Why are you shooting me? I want to live!” Neither the tears nor the appeal of the poor girl saved her life. The atrocities continued until all those who had been held in Gorodnya Prison No. 4 were murdered.…