Chervone (Chervonnoye) | Zhytomyr

/ Raisa S., born in 1933: “Till the evening, I could hear shots in the forest. I asked people and they told me that the Jews were being shot.“ ©Victoria Bahr/Yahad-In Unum Yahad team during the interview at the witness’s house ©Victoria Bahr/Yahad-In Unum The monument in memory of 134 Jews murdered in Chervone (Execution site n°1). ©Victoria Bahr/Yahad-In Unum The monument in memory of 212 Jews murdered in Chervone (Execution site n°2) ©Victoria Bahr/Yahad-In Unum

Execution of Jews in Chervone

2 Execution site(s)

Kind of place before:
Forest
Memorials:
Yes
Period of occupation:
1941-1944
Number of victims:
346

Witness interview

Raisa S., born in 1933, recounts: “While I was grazing my cow, I saw a column of Jewish men. And the next day, I saw a column of Jewish women and children. I was watching from afar. Until evening, I could hear shots in the forest. I asked people and they told me that the Jews who I saw being taken earlier were about to be shot.
YIU: The first day, you saw the column of men, is that right?
W: Yes. And the following day, the women with children were brought.” (Witness n°1735, interviewed in Chervone, on June 6, 2013)

Historical note

Chervone is located 45km north of Zhytomyr. According to the census in 1925, there were over 1100 Jews living in the city out of a total population of 4600. Before the Great October Revolution, there were several small industries in the town, like the sugar manufacturer, distillery, steam mill, brick yard, electric power station, etc. Many Jews worked there.  However, the majority of the Jews lived off of handcraftsmanship and small businesses.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

Little is known from the historical sources about the fate of the Chervone Jews. Immediately after the Gemans’ arrival, the Jews were able to continue living in their houses. However, we know that the Jewish men were separated from Jewish women with children and shot separately. 134 Jews men were shot first in fall 1941 in the forest outside the village. According to the witness, 212 women with children were shot on the following day, close to the first killing site. They were taken to the execution site on foot. The Jews carried their belongings with them, including valuables.

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