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CENTER OF PARTISAN ZONE

Zhary is a village in Ushachi region, 164 kilometers away from Vitebsk and 26 kilometers away from railway station Lepel. In 2000 the population of the village was 294 people. It had 112 households. Zhary has a school, a post office, a kindergarten, a farm and a shop. There is a mass grave where 16 Soviet soldiers and 54 partisans were buried.

The village was founded most probably at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1926 its population was 545 people.

In August, 1941, a clandestine organization, consisting of about 20 people, was established in the village. They were engaged in liberating captured soldiers and officers, who they sent to a partisan detachment, headed by F. Dubrovsky.

On October 10th, 1942 seventy-six Jews and Belarusians were executed on the village outskirts.

On October 7th, 1942, a punitive squad arrived in the village to prepare graves-ditches. They gathered all the village residents, Jews and Belarusians (about 80 people), bashed them with canes, guns and lashes, and then shot them.

In 1965 a first memorial was set up on the execution site (a sculpture of a warrior), which was in 1979 replaced by a stele.

Yad Vashem archive

Arkady Podlipsky

Shtetls of Vitebsk region

Vitebsk Albrehtovo Babinovichi Babynichi Baran Bayevo Begoml Beloye Beshenkovichi Bigosovo Bocheikovo Bogushevsk Bolbasovo Borkovichi Borovuha Braslav Bychiha Chashniki Chereya Disna Dobromysli Dokshitsy Druisk Drutsk Druya Dubrovno Dunilovichi Dvorishe Germanovichi Glubokoye Golubichi Gomel Gorodok Ikazn Iody Kamen Kohanovo Kolyshki Kopys Koziany Krasnoluki Krasnopolie Kublichi Latygolichi Lepel Liady Liozno Lukoml Luzhki Lyntupy Matiyevo Miory Новый Погост Obol Oboltsy Opsa Orehovsk Orsha Osintorf Ostrovno Osveya Parafianovo Plissa Podsvilye Polotsk Postavy Prozorki Rossony Senno Sharkovshina Shumilino Sirotino Slavnoye Slobodka Smolyany Surazh Svecha Tolochin Trudy Ulla Ushachi Verhnedvinsk Vetrino Vidzy Volkolata Volyntsy Voronichi Vorontsevichi Yanovichi• Yezerishe Yuhovichi Zhary

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