Szczeberka | Podlaskie Voivodeship

Bronisława K., born in 1926: “Before the war, Szczeberka was larger. Polish families lived alongside three Orthodox Russian families. There were no Jewish families in the village.” ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Bronisława K., born in 1926: "Three Szczeberka residents became smugglers, helping Jews to escape Suwałki and cross the border. All three became very wealthy from this. Transport was done at night by wagon." ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Bronisława K., born in 1926: "One of the smugglers took a Jewish woman’s belongings, led her to the forest, and killed her with a shovel. Neighbors witnessed it. I later found her grave." ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Bronisława K., born in 1926, led the Yahad team to the site where a Jewish woman was killed and buried by one of the smugglers from the village. ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Bronisława K., born in 1926: “A neighbor saw this smuggler rob a Jewish woman, blindfold her in the forest, and kill her with a shovel despite her pleas. I later found her grave.” ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum The approximate location of the killing site of a Jewish woman murdered by a villager from Szczeberka. The place is unmarked and located in the Szczeberka forest. ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum

Destruction of Jews in Szczeberka

1 Killing site(s)

Kind of place before:
Forest
Memorials:
No
Period of occupation:
1941-1944
Total number of victims:
1

Witness interview

Bronisława K., born in 1926: "At one point during the German occupation, the soldiers who were stationed in my house brought in a massive quantity of Jewish belongings. Everything was stored in our barn. It wasn’t clear where these things came from, but there were sewing machines, bags filled with various goods, and holy books in Hebrew. It all stayed locked in the barn for at least a week, and I wasn’t allowed inside. Afterwards, they drove away with the sewing machines and other items. Before they left, they ordered me to burn Jewish holy books and all the religious insignia in my garden, which took me a week.
I also remember that three residents from Szczeberka became smugglers during the war. They helped Jews who were escaping from Suwałki to cross the border, and all three of them became incredibly wealthy from it. […] I later learned from a neighbor about an awful thing that happened. One of the smugglers brought a Jewish woman to his house and took all of her belongings. Afterwards, he took her into the forest and killed her. […] Later on, I accidentally found the exact spot where that Jewish woman had been buried. I sat down in the forest and saw hair. I thought someone had buried a dog there, but then I realized it was human hair—a woman’s hair! I ran away, terrified. Later, my neighbor told me that was exactly where the guy who killed the Jewish woman had buried her. Today, that area is still covered by forest." (Witness N°YIU1145P, interviewed in Szczeberka, on September 18, 2020)

Historical note

Szczeberka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Nowinka, within Augustów County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in northeastern Poland, located approximately 95 km (59 mi) north of Białystok, the County capital. Before the Second World War, Szczeberka was larger than it is today. Historically, the village was inhabited by Polish families alongside three Orthodox Russian families. The local school was located in neighboring Szczebra. According to local witnesses interviewed by a Yahad - In Unum team in 2020, children from Szczeberka attended classes there, though there were no Jewish children enrolled.

While no Jewish families lived in Szczeberka itself, a large and vibrant Jewish community resided in the nearby town of Augustów, located just 10–12 km (6–7 miles) away which, in 1939, was a home to approximately 4,000 Jews.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

Following the outbreak of war in September 1939, German troops briefly entered Szczeberka and the Augustów region before withdrawing under the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact to hand control to the Soviet Union. For nearly two years, the area was under Soviet occupation and mass deportations to Siberia were common. This ended on June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa and occupied Szczeberka.

The new administration was established shortly afterward. Yahad witness Bronisława K., born in 1926, recalled that six German soldiers and their cook from Warsaw requisitioned her family home, converting it into a Gestapo post for a year. During this time, the Germans used the property to store large quantities of confiscated Jewish property, including sewing machines, Hebrew books, and bags of various goods, which were locked in the barn for a week before being driven away. The house also became a site of interrogation and persecution; the Germans frequently brought Jews there to be searched, beaten and sometimes killed.

At the same time, the flight of Jewish refugees created a lucrative smuggling economy which was exploitated by some civilians. According to Bronisława, a group of local residents established a smuggling network, charging Jews escaping from Suwałki to transport them to Szczeberka at night using horse-drawn wagons and then helping them cross the border. This operation allowed the smugglers to accumulate significant personal wealth by exploiting the refugees. German authorities were fully aware of these nocturnal border crossings but tolerated the activity in exchange for bribes.

This exploitation often led to direct violence once the victims had no assets left. According to Bronisława K., one smuggler brought a Jewish woman to his property, seized her remaining belongings, and led her into the nearby woods. Despite her pleas, he blindfolded her and killed her. The murder was witnessed by two local brothers passing nearby, and the burial site in the woods was later discovered by Bronisława K. The area remains forested today, and there is no monument to commemorate the victim.

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