the jews had received a warning message from the judenrat of drohobitz that a murderous attack was ensuing. local ukrainian residents decided to begin the massacre before the germans arrived. mostly children were brutally murdered, one baby stamped upon after being grabbed from his tortured mother while giving birth. the gestapo soldiers bragged that they killed 600 children, and one ukrainian civilian said that he alone killed 97 children. (following the war, a son of this man, living in the us, and serving as a priest read about these atrocities and dedicated the rest of his life helping commemorate the jewish community of bolekhiv).