Svyataya Volya Ghetto
The Ghetto in Svyataya Volya (summer 1941 – March 1942) was a Jewish ghetto, established as a place of forced resettlement for the Jewish population of the village of Svyataya Volya, located in the Ivacevichy District of the Brest Region, as well as for Jews from nearby settlements. This was part of the Holocaust in Belarus, during the Nazi occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany in World War II.
Occupation of Svyataya Volya and the establishment of the Ghetto
The village of Svyataya Volya was occupied by the German Wehrmacht in late June 1941. The occupation lasted for more than three years, until mid-July 1944.[1]
Shortly after the occupation, the Nazis, implementing their Final Solution, established a ghetto in the village. The prisoners were subjected to harsh forced labor conditions, receiving only 200 grams of bread per day per working prisoner.[1]
Destruction of the Ghetto
In August 1941, 440 prisoners were murdered.[2]
In March 1942, during the final "Aktion" (a Nazi euphemism for mass executions), the ghetto was completely liquidated. Several hundred Jews (325, 375, 440, or up to 800, according to various sources) were taken to the Zavirye area, where they were shot and buried in four mass graves. Many children were buried alive.[2]
Organizers and perpetrators of the killings
The Extraordinary State Commission identified those responsible for organizing and carrying out the mass executions in the former Telekhan District, which included Svyataya Volya at the time:[3]
- SS Sonderführers: Ketler, Riper, Frebel, Schalten, Lavrin, Filken
- Gendarmerie Commandants: Hans Koval, Schneider, Otto Hase, Pergande
- Gendarmes: Otto Vudich, Zapelman, Robert Shuzengaim, Gavendo, Lipshen, Galenki, Karl Otto
- Translator: Nikolai Tsin
A report from the Telekhan Commission of the Extraordinary State Commission states:
"In the town of Svyataya Volya, northwest of the station near the narrow-gauge railway, four mass graves were found… containing 325 bodies of women, the elderly, children, and teenagers. Eyewitness testimony confirmed that many victims were buried alive."[4]
Memory and commemoration
Partial lists of Jewish genocide victims from the Telekhan District have been published, though they do not specify individual villages.[5]
On July 25, 2011, a restored memorial was inaugurated at the site of the mass executions of Jews in Svyataya Volya.[5]
References
- ^ a b Al′tman, Il′â Aleksandrovič (2011). Holokost na territorii SSSR: ènciklopediâ. Moskva: ROSSPÈN. ISBN 978-5-8243-1463-2.
- ^ a b "Збор помнікаў гісторыі і культуры. Брестская область. Страница 214". orda.of.by. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- ^ "Агентство Еврейских Новостей Главные новости". www.aen.ru. Archived from the original on 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- ^ Shastouski, K. "Святая Воля | фота і помнікі". radzima.org. Archived from the original on 2025-01-03. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- ^ a b "Инстинкт страха - meod". 2015-07-05. Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2025-02-23.