Lipen (former Kholui) | Mogilev

Lipen (formerly known as Kholui) is located 150km southwest of Mogilev. The first record of the Jewish community dates back to the late 18th century. The majority of Jews worked in the lumber business or agriculture. There were also artisans and merchants who held seven grocery shops and one tobacco store. An agricultural cooperative was established in 1930s. There was a synagogue. The Zionist movement was rather strong and operated in Lipen until it was banned. According to the 1926 census, 441 Jews lived in Lipen, comprising 58 per cent of the total population. The village was occupied by the Germans on June 30, 1941, one week after the war had broken out.

Immediately after the German arrival, all Jews were registered and marked with yellow Stars of David. They were subjected to forced labor and a ghetto was created rather quickly. It was established in August 1941 and only existed for two months. It was composed of a few houses in the area close to the bank of the Svisloch River. According to a local witnesses, it was fenced in and guarded by local policemen. 

There were two anti-Jewish Aktions carried out by members of Einsatzgruppe B, the Security Police, and the SD, who were assisted by local policemen. One was conducted in August 1941 when a number of Jews were taken to the bridge over the Svisloch river and shot by three policemen. The majority of Jews were killed in October 1941. Although some sources say that the Jews were shot, field research revealed that the remaining 200 Jews were burned alive in the school building.