A tragic story of the tortures perpetrated by their anti-Semitic peasant neighbors on two aged widows, the only Jewish residents of the village Repka, in the Mohilev region, was reported to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency representative here. The two women, who earned their living by doing needlework, are now on the verge of death as a result of the persecutions. One lost her right hand and the other three of her fingers.
A number of anti-Semitic peasant women in Repka invaded the house where the two women lived, during the night, dragged them out of bed and tortured them until they lost consciousness. After several hours the victims, half dead, were dragged to the fireplace, where they were fastened with ropes. The invaders then set fire to the house. Not until the flames were seen was help forthcoming. The local Soviet hurried volunteers to save the burning house and the bound victims were discovered. They were transferred to a hospital in a neighboring township, where they are now fighting for their lives.
The attackers were arrested immediately. They will be tried for anti-Semitism.
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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.
