The murder of a Red Armyman by the Germans in the small town of Medvin in the Ukraine paved the way for a charge of “ritual murder” against all the Jews of the city and their execution by the Nazis, the commissar of a partisan detachment reported here today.
In the spring of 1942, a large group of Red Army prisoners passed through Medvin under German guard. One of the prisoners was stabbed to death and his body thrown into a cellar. Several days later the Gestapo “discovered” the body and spread the word that “the Jews were killing Christians for ritual purposes.” Although the population ignored the bait, the Germans staged a trial of all the Jews, comprising about 80 families, and sentenced them to death. Prior to executing their victims, the Nazis flogged them with rubber clubs and hanged them by their feet.
Only one Jews escaped. He was hidden for two years in the home of a peasant, who risked here life to shelter him. When the Red Army recaptured Medvin, this lone survivor joined the Russian troops and is now fighting at the front, the partisan commander’s report reveals.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
