1 Execution site(s)
Mikhail P., born in 1927: "I went to the school in Davydovka. I shared my desk with a Jewish girl whose name was Lea. Her father was a tailor. She was later killed alongside the rest of the Jews. At the beginning of the German occupation, the Jews were able to continue living freely in their houses. But when autumn came, they had to wear a special white sign. Then very quickly the horror began." (Eyewitness N°837, interviewed in Davydovka, on September 19th 2014).
Davydovka is a small village situated 100 km west of Gomel. An large part of the population was Jewish. Lots of the Jews were craftsmen and storekeepers. There was also a wooden synagogue, destroyed after the war. The city was occupied by German forces in the summer of 1941.
According historical sources, little is known regarding the fate of the Jews in Davydovka. But thanks to a local testimony recorded by Yahad, it was possible to learn more about the events. Up to their execution, the Jews were able to live in their own houses. The shooting took place early in the morning in spring 1942. The village had been surrounded by local policemen, native to the village or from neighboring villages. The Jews were chased violently from their houses and shot in front of their houses by the local policemen. Local inhabitants were then requisitioned with carts to gather the bodies, which were then buried in pits dug in a place which served as an animal remains pit.
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Read Yahad-In Unum’s report of the research trip in this area