1 Execution site(s)
Sophia O., born in 1928: “Some Jews evacuated at the start of the war. Mr Kogan was mobilized, and his son Boria managed to escape to the Romanian side, where he survived the war.
The Jews who remained in the village didn’t work under the Germans. They lived in Ukrainian homes and dressed in embroidered shirts to pass themselves off as Ukrainians. Despite this, they were denounced by the police and shot. Two Jewish brothers from Khashuvate, who were hiding in my neighbor’s home, an old lady, were denounced and killed when they were on their way to cross the Buh, hoping to take refuge on the Romanian side. (…).” (Testimony n°2862U, interviewed in Mohylne, on November 21, 2020)
"In early October 1941, around 25 Jewish families from Mohylne were taken by Ukrainian policemen back to the village of Zavalie. There, they crossed the southern Buh by ferry and brought them to the Romanian side. Several Jews died during the crossing. Once on the Romanian side, most of the Jews ended up in Savran, then in November 1941 they were taken by Romanian gendarmes to Obodovka, Vinnytsia region." [Act drawn up upon the testimonies given to the Soviet State Commission; Source: GARF7021-69-77/RG22-002M]
Mohylne is a village located 69 km (43mi) southwest of Uman. The first record of the Jews dates back to the late 18th century. Little is known about the Jewish community that lived in Mohylne. According to local testimonies, circa. 20 Jewish families lived in the village. Their main occupation was trade. Some Jews had shops or lived off handicraft. Many Jewish inhabitants worked as tailors or shoemakers. There was no Jewish school, according to accounts Jewish children went to the same school as non-Jews. Although many teachers at school were of Jewish origin.
Mohylne was occupied on July 29, 1941. According to the Soviet archives, shortly after the occupation, 25 Jewish families from Mohylne were deported to Savran, part of the Romanian occupation zone, before being transferred to the Vinnytsia region. According to local accounts, prior to the German arrival some Jews managed to flee and cross the Buh River, while men and young boys were drafted into the army. Once the Germans arrived, the Jews tried to dissimulate their origin by dressing in local non-Jewish traditional clothes and staying in amongst the non-Jewish residents. Field research also revealed that several local Jews were executed in February 1942 in a forest between the villages of Mohylne and Petrivka. Prior to the shootings, the victims were rounded up in the rural council building under the pretext of a possible displacement. Clearly, it was the local policemen who used this ruse to bring the Jews together. According to witness no. 2862, the children were not killed, but thrown alive into the pit. Today, there is a monument at the execution site. In the early days of the war, a column of around 30 Jewish men and women was led through the village by German guards. The convoy headed south, but Yahad team was unable to find any more details about the fate of the column or its final destination.
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