1 Execution site(s)
Kostiantyn D., born in 1928: "In the autumn of 1941, a significant number of Jews from Chernivtsi were brought to Vinozh by the guards. These Jews were put in the homes of local residents who had agreed to take them in. Some of the Jews stayed the night at my house, but due to limited living space and my family having five children, my mother had to ask them to find lodging elsewhere the next morning, which they did. Among the Jews, there was a rabbi with a long beard. He passed away in the village, and his body was buried in the local cemetery in a separate grave, distinct from the others. A few days later, the Jews were ordered to gather before being taken elsewhere." (Testimony N°YIU2832U, interviewed in Vinozh, on October 29, 2020)
"During the occupation of Vinozh by German-Romanian invaders, in June 1943, the following citizens of Jewish origin, who had been deported to Vinozh from Bessarabia, were shot: Leib Fish (patronymic unknown), Shlioma Guerman (patronymic unknown) and Kurs (first name and patronymic unknown). The perpetrators of the shooting are non-commissioned officer of the Romanian gendarmerie, M. (first and last name unknown), who was in charge of the Nemerche gendarmerie post, and gendarme M. (first and last name unknown).
In 1942, in the village of Vinozh, 800 Jews detained in the camp-ghetto died of maltreatment (starvation and beatings)." [Act drawn by State Extraordinary Soviet Commission (ChGK), on April 13, 1945, p.35; GARF 7021-54-1239/ Copy USHMM RG.22-002M]
Vinozh, located approximately 95 km (59 mi) southwest of Vinnytsia, was primarily inhabited by Ukrainians, although there were two Jewish families residing in the village. The majority of the local population were involved in farming and agricultural activities, whereas the Jewish residents were artisans. One of the Jewish families included a girl named Fira, whose mother worked as a tailor, and her brother eventually became an engineer. Another Jewish boy named Mussik attended a local school, and his mother was also a tailor.
Vinozh came under the control of German and Romanian forces in late July 1941, falling under Romanian jurisdiction and becoming part of Transnistria by September of the same year.
Starting in the fall of 1941, hundreds of Jews from North Bukovina and Bessarabia were gradually deported to Vinozh and placed under Romanian authority. They were confined to a makeshift ghetto established in the village and resorted to bartering their valuables and clothing for food from the local residents. Some groups of deportees, particularly those from Chernivtsi, stayed in Vinozh for only a short period before being transported elsewhere. A rabbi who accompanied them died in Vinozh and was buried in an individual grave at the local cemetery.
The harsh living conditions, food shortages, and instances of beatings led to the deaths of numerous Jews. According to records from the Soviet Archives, 800 Jews died in 1942 alone. Additionally, three Jews were shot to death in June 1943. According to accounts from local witnesses, at least three local Jews managed to survive the war.
For more information about the fate of Jews in Chernivtsi, please follow the corresponding profile.
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