The Soviet commission investigating German atrocities against the civilian population reported today that in July, 1941, a few weeks after they launched their invasion of Russia, the Nazis murdered the entire remaining Jewish population of Belilovka, near Berdichev. The majority of the Jewish residents had fled to the interior prior to the invasion.
Shortly after the capture of the town, the German commandant ordered all Jews to report to the local synagogue where they were registered. The total Jewish population 668. The Jews were ordered to appear at the synagogue the following day with all their belongings, from where, they were told, they would be sent to Berdichev.
The next morning 600 Jews assembled at the synagogue. Five elderly Jews would be shot if the 68 did not report. After several hors they were brought in. Among them were aged and sick persons and children.
From the synagogue, all the Jews were taken to the Berdichev highway and told to start running. as the panic-stricken Jews fled, the Germans opened fire on them with machine guns, killing all. For two days their bodies remained lying in the highway and then they were buried in a mass grave.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
