Murder Story of Pushkin Jews in Babolovsky Park

They [the Litmanovich family] occupied a corner [in the basement] next to us. It was a large and nice-looking family – [a] man, children and an elderly woman. We were sitting close to each other. Suddenly, as I was sitting on some sacks, I saw the elderly woman, the “old lady” as we called her, approaching my mother. She started to whisper something to my mother. My mother began to cry, but she [the old lady] insistently asked her for something. My mother cried, but she did not. Then all the children began to say around that Germans are coming tonight for the Jews. I saw the Litmanoviches’ granddaughter in my mother’s arms. ... As a child, I went to bed. I woke up to shouts. We were all woken up and put in rows inside the basement. A German with a whip came in, accompanied by several other Germans. Then the selection took place. I saw it for the first time in my life. The German went [around], raised the whip and hit somebody’s left shoulder with it, saying “Jude.” Immediately, a terrible cry commenced. The old lady Litmanovich was so nervous she was unable to stand up – she remained seated. The German went around each member of her family and hit them [with the whip]. My mother was holding the last child of this family in her arms, about whom the old lady had said: "I will pay you handsomely, just save my grandchild." My sister, my brother and my father were standing next to her. My mother was holding the baby in her arms. The German came up without paying any attention to us, as if we were empty space. He stopped by my mother, put his whip on the baby and said, “Jude.” My mother shouted that this was her baby, but once more he said, “Jude.” A German came up and grabbed the baby. My mother’s legs buckled; she sat down on a sack. All those selected were taken outside. They stood there for about an hour and a half. We wanted to go out, but a German stood at the doors and would not let us out. Then he left. As we ran outside, [somebody] told they had been driven to Kapris. We – all the guys, ran together in that direction. We, the girls, returned before we reached Rozovoye Pole. My brother went further up to the Chernye Bolota (Chernye Prudy), and then the Germans redirected this group to Babolovsky Park and began shooting backwards. [The shooting site] was the swampy low-lying lands of Babolovsky Park. Nobody can identify the exact location, as the Germans did not let us [go there]. But there is a continuation to the story. The following morning, rumors were spread among the population of the basements ... that the Germans would distribute clothes as humanitarian aid. At about 11 am, the Germans put the clothes of the Jews at the entrance to the basement. I saw it with my own eyes ... I was standing and watching until I saw the bonnet of that baby thrown up in the air. As I saw the bonnet, I understood everything, although I knew they had been shot. I personally saw the bonnet of the baby, that woman’s grandchild. It was white, very beautiful, with lace, a pink triple trim and ribbons. The German took it by the ribbons and threw it up into the air. It slowly fell down. When I realized I had seen this on the baby, I left.