STORY OF THE WITNESSES

Igor Adamovich Pozharitsky.

Based on the book "Memory", the Jews of Krugliansky region were murdered in a place called Krucha, the village of Novoprudie and other places. Nazi policemen made lists of Jewish families who had to be instantly arrested. Then the prisoners were taken to the woods and killed.

Also, some of the Jewish residents were assembled at Moprovskaya Street 26 and then shot by the river. All in all, 515 Jews were executed in Krugloe during the war.

One of the houses in Moprovskaya Street,
a former ghetto.

Igor Adamovich Pozharitsky, born in 1921.

I am 88. I was born in Smolensk but when I was 7 our mother brought me and my two brothers here. We lived in Krugloe for three years.

In October, 1941, Nazis assembled the strong Jewish men and told them they would be sent to work. Instead, they were taken 4 km away from Krugloe and shot. First 20 people were killed. Later another raid like this was organized.

Policeman Klimkov robbed the local Jews and shot them. I heard about a Jewish woman who had two children. He came to their house, arrested them and shot her and the children in a ditch next to the linen factory.

Place of execution of Jews from Krugloe near the village of Shupeni.

A ghetto was established for the Jewish women in Moprovskaya Street – there were more than 200 people. In May, 1942 we saw all of them walking very quietly along Moprovskaya Street. They were executed in the park. We could see everything from the bench we were sitting on. A German officer read something aloud to the victims and I heard humming. Then we heard loud orders in German. Two middle-aged men started running but were brought back. Then everyone was told to get undressed. The people, who had good clothes, were told to take everything off. All the clothes were then taken to the Nazi police headquarters.

Memorial at the Jewish cemetery, the site of reburial.

Later the policemen claimed that some of the people had died of heart attacks before the shooting. The victims were forced to lie in the ditches in groups of six and shot on the head. One of the Germans fell into the ditch himself because he could not shoot. Later we saw him walking in the street, looking down and dragging his gun on the ground.

Jewish cemetery in Krugloe.

After the war the victims' relatives came to Krugloe and re-buried the remnants of more than 500 people in the cemetery, where a memorial was set up.

(From archive of the project "Lessons of the Holocaust")

Prepared by A. Litin, I. Shenderovich
Photos taken by I. Litin

Jewish settlements in Mogilev region

Mogilev• Antonovka• Batsevichi• Belynichi• Belynkovichi• Bobruisk• Byhov• Chausy• Cherikov• Dashkovka• Dribin• Esmony• Glusk• Golovchin• Gorki• Gory• Grozdianka• Hotimsk• Kirovsk• Klichev• Konohovka• Kostukovichi• Krichev• Krucha• Krugloye• Lenino• Lubonichi• Martinovka• Moliatichi• Mstislavl• Naprasnovka• Osipovichi• Rodnia• Rudkovschina• Samotevichi• Sapezhinka• Selets• Shamovo• Shepelevichi• Shklov• Slavgorod• Staroselie• Sukhari• Svisloch• Vereschaki• Zaverezhie• Zhilichi•