Urechye | Minsk

The execution site of 830 Jews from Urechye. ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum The execution site of 93 Jews from Urechye near the airfield. ©Jethro Massey/Yahad - In Unum

Execution of Jews in Urechye

2 Killing site(s)

Kind of place before:
Airfield/Forest
Memorials:
Yes
Period of occupation:
1941-1944
Number of victims:
1039

Soviet archives

“After forensic examination, it seems that all the people buried were shot by the Germans in 1942. There are women and children among them. The majority of the bodies display a gunshot wound to the skull, consequently indicating they were all executed with guns.” [Act of The Soviet Extraordinary State Commission, on September 28, 1944, RG-22.002M Reel 24 Part III p.253]

Historical note

Urechye is a small town located 107 km southeast of Minsk. According to the 1939 census, there were 979 Jews living in the town, making up 17.5% of the total population. The town was occupied by German troops on June 28, 1941.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

At the end of 1941, a ghetto was created on Talskaya Street. It was guarded by Germans and local policemen. On May 9, 1942, a selection was conducted. 120 skilled workers were set apart. The remaining Jews, around 715 individuals, composed mainly of the elderly, women, and children, were shot in 2 pits at the edge of a forest 3 km north of the city by the Germans and their local collaborators. Two days later, another 40 Jews who had been in hiding were shot at the same location. Later in 1942, the skilled workers were shot in turn in a ditch near the airfield by the German gendarmerie and local policemen.

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