Kamyenyets Ghetto (summer 1941 - November 1942) was a Nazi Jewish ghetto established during the Nazi occupation of Belarus, served as a place of forced resettlement for Jews from Kamyenyets (Kamyenyets-Litovsky) in the Brest region and nearby settlements. This ghetto was part of the broader persecution and extermination of Jews during World War II.
Occupation of Kamyenyets and creation of the ghetto.
According to the 1939 census, 3,909 Jews lived in Kamyenyets, making up 92.1% of the city's population.
Kamyenyets was captured by German troops on June 23, 1941, and the occupation lasted until June 22, 1944. The first victim of the war in Kamyenyets was a Jewish woman, killed by a German shell fragment on the first day of the occupation.
The killings of Jews began immediately. The Germans prioritized eliminating Jewish men aged 15 to 50, whom they perceived as potential resisters, despite the economic disadvantage of killing able-bodied individuals. By early July 1941, the Germans conducted their first "action" (mass murder), killing 108 young Jews 2 kilometers from the city. Jews were forced to sew yellow badges onto their clothing and affix yellow stars to their homes.
In August 1941, all Jews in Kamyenyets were deported to the Pruzhany ghetto. However, due to overcrowding, they were allowed to return after 2-3 weeks.
Upon their return, Jews were confined to two ghettos - a large one and a small one. The large ghetto encompassed several streets, including Brzheskaya, Kobrinskaya (now Belova), Litovskaya (now Pivnenko), and others. The small ghetto was located around Asha, Brzeskaya (Brestskaya), and other streets. On January 1, 1942, both ghettos were merged into one.
Conditions in the ghetto.
The Germans established a Judenrat (Jewish council) and an unarmed Jewish police force to maintain order. Periodically, the Judenrat was required to collect gold as "indemnities." The occupiers plundered Jewish homes with impunity.
For any violation of German-imposed rules, Jews were killed on the spot. The ghetto was surrounded by a high fence with barbed wire and had three gates. Electric lanterns illuminated the perimeter from evening to morning. Leaving the ghetto was strictly prohibited.
Local police guarded the ghetto, with some standing at the gates and others patrolling. Occasionally, German gendarmes and visiting police reinforced the security.
Initially, prisoners could leave the ghetto to buy food, but as the fence was completed, the ghetto was sealed, leading to severe food shortages and famine. There was only one well for all prisoners, and the Judenrat could distribute only minimal amounts of food. Overcrowding was extreme, with 10 or more people in one room, living in unsanitary conditions.
All ghetto inhabitants were subjected to harsh forced labor. On September 9, 1942, a brief uprising occurred in the ghetto.
Destruction of the ghetto.
In November 1942, the ghetto was liquidated. The Jews of Kamyenyets were transported to the Vysokovskoye ghetto and, according to some accounts, also to Biała Podlaska. They were held without food or water, had their belongings confiscated, and were eventually sent to the Treblinka extermination camp.
Rescue efforts.
There were several escape attempts and instances of assistance from local residents. One notable escape involved a group of Jews who, lacking hiding places, were forced to return. Pinya, a Jewish escapee, was betrayed by the village elder of Bolshiye Muriny. Dr. Noachim Golberg and his family fled but were betrayed by a local policeman.
Of the Jews from Kamyenyets who remained under occupation, only Leon Gedalje Goldring survived Auschwitz.
References.
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