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Alexander ROSENBERG
POLOTSK

Daria KIPIATKOVA
GHETTO ON THE TERRITOTY OF POLOTSK IN THE YEARS OF OCCUPATION (1941 – 1944)

POLOTSK

Polotsk, the oldest city of Belarus, was founded in the 9th century. There are sources which provide evidence that Jews already resided in Polotsk in 1490. The Jewish population in 1765 constituted 1,003 people. In the 18th century Polotsk became a significant Hassidic center and major representatives of this movement lived here: Rabbi Isroel from Polotsk, Rabbi Natan, Rabbi Iliya Joseph from Dribin, Rabbi Shneur Zalman Fradkin and others.

In 1910 the Jewish population of Polotsk already constituted 19,252 people. At the beginning of the 20th century Polotsk community had 23 synagogues and “Talmud Torah”.

Polotsk Jews were actively involved in the political life of the city, supporting different parties, but mostly “Bund” (Jewish Labor Social Democratic party). At the same time Polotsk turned into an anti-Semitic center and the city witnessed a Jewish pogrom in October, 1905 with a lot of victims involved.

As soon as the Soviet authority was established in Polotsk (1918) Jewish communities were gradually abolished. Most Jews moved to other regions of the country (mostly industrial centers) and also the USA and Palestine. The Jewish population dropped to 8,188 people (32% of the total population) in 1926.

Polotsk Jews did not escape the awful tragedy of the Belarusian Jews. The city was invaded by fascists on July 16th, 1941 and the mass execution was carried out on in August of the same year the city outskirts. Polotsk residents Maria Yegorovna Fedotenko and Khristina Yevdokimovna Bochkareva wrote: “In August, 1941, Germans carried out a mass execution of peaceful Jewish residents of Polotsk. Among the victims there was Gilia Klet, his wife Riva, Mendel Shulke, his wife, the Bruslin family, which consisted of two parents and three children and many others.

Before the execution the victims were made to dig graves for themselves and then shot. They were undressed and thrown into the graves, some of them still alive. Then they were buried.”

Mikhail Borisovich Minkhovich informed that on November 21st, 1941, 2,300 Polotsk Jews were executed in Borovukha-2 near Polotsk. He survived by chance.

Another witness Zinaida Dmitriyevna Spiridonova narrated: “The Jewish population was mercilessly executed in Polotsk in 1941. The Nazis forced the people to dig trenches and shot them. At that time a boy ran away in horror from the trench and gripped a tree. The fascists chopped off his arms.”

The ghetto in Polotsk was organized a few weeks after the invasion. The Jewish population had to move to Kommunisticheskaya, Gogolevskaya, Voikova, Internatsionalnaya (former Yevreiskaya) streets. The ghetto was surrounded with barbed wire. Initially the ghetto consisted of 5,000 Polotsk Jews – those who had failed to escape. They had to live in inhuman conditions - fed only once a day. Hundreds of people died of starvation or hard work. In the autumn of 1941 the ghetto was transferred to Lozovka, a village not far from Borovukha-2. Here 8,000 Jews from Polotsk and neighboring villages had to huddle in 10 barracks. The ghetto was guarded by Germans and local policemen. The conditions were even harder than in the city ghetto. On December 21st, 1942 fascists started eliminating the ghetto. All the Jews were forced out of the barracks and convoyed to the execution spot. Several people attempted to escape: some where shot and some were lucky, for example Yakubovich, Mutitsa. Most of the Jews were soon shot and buried in four big trenches. Babies were thrown into the trenches alive. That was the end of the Polotsk ghetto, which shared the fate of many other Belarusian ghettos.

In 19999 a memorial was erected at the site of the execution.

Around 3,000 Jews lived in Polotsk in the first postwar years. However, in the 50s-60s many of them moved to Vitebsk, Minsk and Leningrad. In 1970 the Jewish part of population was 550 people, in 1986 – around 1,000 people. In recent years there has been a revival of Jewish life in Polotsk. There are different Jewish organizations, a religious school, etc.

The spiritual rebirth of the city is closely connected to the Jewish religious community “Hevra Tehilim”, headed by Alexander Davidovsky. The community was established in 2001 and it regularly holds Sabbaths and organizes celebrations of all Jewish holidays. Yeva Mikhailovna Davidovskaya is considered the “heart” of the community and she is actively involved in helping the community and all the Jews living in Polotsk.

Alexander ROSENBERG
Newspaper “Berega”, September, 2004

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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