Nova Kotelnya | Zhytomyr

/ Olena I. was an eyewitness of the shooting, which was carried out behind the Catholic church © Victoria Bahr – Yahad – In Unum Fillip G., born in 1935, saw the Jewish column walking to the execution site: “There were women, men, children and the elderly, escorted by the armed policemen. Everyone walked slowly.” © Victoria Bahr – Yahad – In Unum The execution site of about 266-360 Jews located near the old Catholic church. © Victoria Bahr – Yahad-In Unum

Execution of the Stara Kotelnya Jews in Nova Kotelnya

1 Execution site(s)

Kind of place before:
Behind the Catholic church
Memorials:
Yes
Period of occupation:
1941-1943
Number of victims:
266-360

Witness interview

Olena Y., born in 1930, remembers the day when she saw the shooting: “It was a big and wide grave. The Jews were taken in groups of 10 or 15 people and lined up at the edge of the pit and they were shot with machine guns. There were Germans and Ukrainians who fired several bursts of shots at once. Everybody screamed and cried. It was awful. Once the group was shot, the policemen went to take another group, and so on.” (Eyewitness N°1734, interviewed in Nova Kotelnya, on June 5,2013).

Historical note

Nova Kotelnya is located 73 km from Zhytomyr. The village wasn’t inhabited by Jews throughout its history. The Jews lived in the nearby village of Stara Kotelnya. The majority of them were small traders or artisans. The Germans occupied the village in early July 1941. 

Holocaust by bullets in figures

From 266 to 3600 Stara Kotelnya Jews were shot in Nova Kotelnya, near the Catholic church. There are no archives about the persecution of the Jews in the village. According to Yahad’s fieldwork, there were several shooters at the execution site. The Jews were shot dressed, in small groups. For more information about the execution in Stara Kotelnya please check out the village’s profile

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Nearby villages

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