|
Destruction of the
Jewish Population of Kislovodsk
Protocol
Kislovodsk,
July 5, 1943
We,
the undersigned, citizens of the city of Kislovodsk: Pyotr
Aleksandrovich Ostankov, Professor of Leningrad Medical
Institute No. 1, distinguished scientist, living at Clara
Zetkin Street 4; Timofei Yefremovich Gnilorybov, professor,
Head Surgeon at the convalescent home of Kislovodsk, living at
Paris Commune Street No. 9; Mikhail Yefimovich Gontaryov,
assistant at the Medical Institute in Leningrad, living at
Paris Commune Street No. 9; Mikhail Zakharovich Fingerut,
living at Chkalov 42a; Naum Mikhaylovich Gorelik, living at
Chkalov No. 45; Yevgenya Terentyevna Kovnatnaya, living at
Volodarskaya No. 3; and Boris Yakovlevich Khshive, living at
Terski Square No. 1/4, have compiled this protocol on the
crimes of the Jewish nationality, residents of the city of
Kislovodsk, in the region of Stravropol.
On
August 16, 1942, the German Command and its representatives,
the military commander of the city of Kislovodsk, Pohl, and
the head of the Gestapo, Welben, set up a Jewish Committee in
the city of Kislovodsk, under the chairmanship of Moisey
Samoylovich Beninson, born 1878 (dentist, who lived at Stalin
Street 22). He was told by the German Command to collect from
the Jewish population and hand over immediately such valuables
as gold, diamonds, silver, carpets, clothing, linens and
shoes.
In
the hope of saving Jewish lives by handing over the above
valuables to the Germans, the Jewish Committee collected and
delivered to the German Commander, Pohl, 100,000 rubles in
cash, 530 articles made of gold or silver, rings, watches,
cigarette cases, 105 dozen silver spoons, 230 pairs of shoes,
men's suits, coats, and carpets. According to market prices
this contribution [forced levy] was worth about 5,000,000
rubles.
On
August 18, 1942, the military commander of the City of
Kislovodsk, Pohl, ordered a register to be made of the Jewish
population without regard to sex or age. After the
registration all persons of Jewish nationality were ordered to
wear an identifying mark on the right side of the chest -- a
six-cornered star which they call the "Star of
David."
The
Jewish population between the ages of 16 through 60 was
rounded up by the German Command for various forms of forced
labor: for the building of the airfield, and the paving of the
roads. The doctors and professors were made to sweep and clean
the streets. The work was done without any payment.
On
September 7, 1942, the German Command No. 12 issued an order
requiring the Jews to report to the railway station (at the
freight station) on September 9, to take with them baggage not
exceeding 20 kgs. in weight, valuables, and food for two days,
in order, it was indicated, to travel from there to
"sparsely populated" places in the Ukraine. They
were ordered to hand in to Command No. 12 the keys of their
apartments, each key to be marked with a label with the
address.
On
September 9, 1942, 2,000 Jews assembled at the freight station
in Kislovodsk, including aged people, women and children. The
Nazis took the hand baggage and also the food from the Jews,
who were loaded onto 18 open freight cars and two covered
cars, which stood ready for this purpose. The train then
pulled out with a reinforced German guard in the direction of
the railway station of Mineralnya Vody, where, according to
eye-witnesses, the Jews were shot.
Among
those deported and shot by the Germans were many medical
workers including: Professor Baumholtz, Dr. Chatzki and his
family, Dr. Schwarzman, the physician Sokolski, Dr. Mereynes,
Dr. Drivinski and the Jewish writer Bregman. Altogether 117
medical workers perished.
Many
of the Jews committed suicide because of the danger of
brutality by the German Command against the Jews; these
included Dr. Wilenski and his wife; Dr. Bugayevskaya and the
nurse Pokrovskaya.
Dr.
Feinberg, his wife and daughter tried to commit suicide by
taking morphine and cutting their arteries, but the vile
Germans did not let them die; they moved them to the clinic,
cured them and shot them afterwards.
Among
the Jews deported from Kislovodsk and shot in Mineralnya Vody
were 9 Jewish children from the Children's Home No. 18, aged
4-6 years. These were Olya Nimerovskaya, aged 6; Rosa
Steinberg, aged 6; Grisha Shops, aged 7; Vova Shops, aged 5;
Lyusik Shmaroner, aged 5; Ella Uritzkaya, aged 6; Yasha
Uritzki, aged 4; Pavel Uritzki, aged 4; and Kolya Klunger,
aged 5.
The
citizen Fingerut, who escaped the shooting of the Jews, gave
detailed evidence on the course of the shooting.
The
train with the deported Jews arrived at the glass factory. The
Germans who accompanied the transport ordered the Jews to get
down from the freight cars, hand over their money and
valuables, and then ordered them to undress.
With
heart-rending cries the women, children and old people took
off their clothing and stood dressed only in their underwear.
Afterwards this mass of people, almost out of its mind with
fear, was taken away to the anti-tank ditches, surrounded by
German guards carrying submachine-guns. Anyone who tried to
escape was shot dead.
At
the ditches the Germans shot the Jews with submachine-guns and
machine-guns.
The
Germans took out 40 persons -- men -- and forced them to
collect and load on the freight cars all the possessions of
those who had been shot and afterwards took them, too, to the
ditch and shot them.
As
a result it has been established that the Military Commander
of the city of Kislovodsk, Pohl, the head of the Gestapo
Welben, and his assistant Weber, on September 9, 1942, carried
out a cruel slaughter of the Jews of the city of Kislovodsk,
2,000 in number, including old people, women and children.
The
facts stated above are confirmed by the following:
1.
The printed decree of German Command No. 12 of September 2,
1942, given in the city of Kislovodsk, concerning the
deportation of the Jews;
2.
The official list of valuables handed over to the German
Command;
3.
The printed announcement by the German Supreme Commander
"to the Civilian Population of the Caucasus" in
Russian and German;
4.
The evidence of M.Z. Fingerut, Y.T. Kovnatnaya, B.Y. Khshive,
L.R. Lipman, Ch. R. Gertzber, E.I. Parkhomenko, L.I. Pavlova,
A.M. Mirzoyan, Z.I. Kovina;
5.
The document of Hospital No. 5404;
6.
The document of Children's Home No. 18;
7.
The list of Jews killed, numbering 894 persons.
Signed:
P.A.
Ostankov, T.Y. Gnilorybov, M.Y. Gontaryov, M.Z. Fingerut, N.M.
Gorelik, Y.T. Kovnatnaya, B.Y. Khshive.
Dokumenty
Obviniayut
("Documents Accuse"), II, Moscow, 1945, pp. 140-142. |
