Darivka | Kherson

/ Vira C., born in 1927, saw the execution of Jewish refugees © Aleksey Kasyanov /Yahad-In Unum Yuriy S., born in 1928: “Before being shot the victims lived in the local Klub building” © Aleksey Kasyanov /Yahad-In Unum Yahad’s team during an interview with a witness in his garden © Aleksey Kasyanov /Yahad-In Unum The Jewish refugees were resettled in the Klub which used to be located near this water-tower. Today it no longer exist© Aleksey Kasyanov /Yahad-In Unum The victims were brought to this place and shot in a ditch © Aleksey Kasyanov /Yahad-In Unum

Execution of Jewish refugees in Darivka

1 Execution site(s)

Kind of place before:
Trench
Memorials:
No
Period of occupation:
1941-1943
Number of victims:
Dozens

Witness interview

Vira C., born in 1927, recalls: “A lot of Jews, mostly women and children, were evacuated to Darivka. They were kept in the building of the local Klub. We were curious so we went there frequently to see them. They asked us for food in exchange for their belongings. Sometimes I brought them some food and they gave me their clothes or dishes in exchange.” (Testimony n°2213 interviewed in Darivka on May 23rd, 2017)

Historical note

Darivka is located 20km north-east of Kherson. The settlement was founded in 1780. According to the census of 1886, only 169 people lived in the village. Little is known about the local Jewish community as the majority of Jews of this region lived in Jewish agricultural colonies where they would frequently resettled to cultivate the deserted lands. Darivka was occupied by German troops at the end of August, 1941. By that time a lot of Jews from north-eastern regions of Ukraine were evacuated to Darivka by the Soviet authorities.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

Without any available archives, Yahad’s team managed to find out what happened to the Jewish refugees evacuated to Darivka. The Jewish refugees, generally women and children, were brought to Darivka in trucks and were settled in the local Klub building. When the Germans arrived, they took them to a ditch located north-east of the village, in the direction of Kalanchak, to be shot. Beside the Jews, about 20 Roma were murdered as well in a ditch close to the village of Kalanchak.

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