StudyGuide - Courses

Uncovering the Holocaust by Bullets

Watch the testimony video, read accompanying documents and answer related questions.

Access to accompanying documents

Witness

Antonina V.

Country

Russia

Birthdate and Birthplace

1926, Arkhangelskoye

Year of video recording

2015

InEvidence link (YahadMap)

Know more

Arkhangelskoye, RUSSIA

Arkhangelskoye is a village situated near the Caucasus on the banks of the Kuma river, around 200km southeast of Stavropol and 200km north of the border with Georgia. Before the war there were no Jewish families in Arkhangelskoye. Once the war in the East began, Jews found refuge in the Stavropol region before the Germans occupied the territory in August 1942. The Soviet archives state that in September 1942, 48 Jewish refugees, including 21 children, were arrested by the Germans with the help of the local police. They were then driven to the site of the mass grave, usually reserved for animals. The Jews were forced to dig the pit themselves before being shot. The Yahad - In Unum investigation highlighted the fact that the children were poisoned, while the adults were shot. Antonina witness one of the scenes of the massacre.
Antonia took Yahad - In Unum team to the execution site: a water tower in the middle of the village of Arkhangelskoye. There is no memorial or plaque and the victims' bodies are still buried there.

Antonina V. born in 1926 © Cristian Monterosso - Yahad - In Unum

Antonina during the interview with the Yahad- In Unum reearch team © Cristian Monterosso/Yahad - In Unum

Glossary

Policeman / local police
In the Soviet system, there was no 'local police'. Denunciation to the local administration was the rule. The creation of a local police was the only administrative reform by the Germans in the occupied Soviet territories. This police, which received no training, often had the appearance of a militia.

The poisoning of children
In southern Ukraine and southern Russia, the investigations carried out by Yahad - In Unum revealed the use of a toxic substance for sending children to sleep, or indeed killing them. The substance was put on their lips or under their nose. The children would pass out immediately. The nature of this substance is currently unknown. The regions where it was used correspond with the path taken by Einsatzgruppe D.

Questionnaire

1.- How old was Antonina at the time of the events ?

2.- What weapon was used to kill the children ?

3.- When and how were the parents killed ?

4.- Who were the criminals? Does Antonina remember their names ?

5.- What was the role of the Germans in the criminal process ?

6.- Describe the scene of the crime in detail: where were the children put in relation to their parents ? Where were the executioners in relation to their victims ?

7.- How does the specific crime of the children show the genocidal will of the Nazis?

8.- How did Antonina's mother react when she heard that her daughter saw the killing ? Why did she react this way ?

9.- Why do you think that the witness agreed to give her testimony 70 years after the events?

10.- Why do you think that it is important to collect and teach about this type of testimony ?

Additional Resources

Access supplementary materials, including articles and further reading suggestions, for a comprehensive learning experience.

Historical notes

Arkhangelskoye is located on the banks of the Kuma River, approximately 200km southeast of Stavropol. Historically home to Russians, there were no Jewish families living in the village before the war. Once the war broke out, some Jewish refugees settled in the village. According to the witnesses, the Jews lived among the villagers and worked in the kolkhoz. The Germans occupied the territory in August 1942.

Rural scene in the village of Arkhangelskoye © Cristian Monterroso/Yahad-In Unum

The killing site of Jewish refugees located in the middle of the modern-day village © Cristian Monterosso - Yahad-In Unum

Sources/Archives

“On September 06, 1942, during the mass arrest of the Jewish population, the German soldiers from the Gestapo arrested one Jewish family: two young women, Tonya and Tsypa, with their children, Rosa (5 years old) and Lena (3 years old) and their mother-in-law, age 70. I don’t know their names. On September 7, 1942, at about 9-10 am, they were taken along with others Jews to the animal remains pit. In all, there were about 40-50 people in the column. They were brought in groups to the edge of the pit and shot. “ [Deposition of A., taken by the Soviet regional commission, RG-22.002M, 7021-17/9 (district A)]

PICTURES GALLERY

YIU TEAM with Antonina V.