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Pogrom in Kalinovka March 9 1919 & July 14 1919
KALINOVKA (Government of Podolia) Testimony of B. Barinstein, Taken Down by S. Y. Maislish, July 28 The town of Kalinovka, canton of Vinnitza, counting about 500 Jewish families, is on the railraod line Kasatin-Zhmerinka, 20 versts from Vinnitza. The station of Kalinovka is a transfer point from the broad-guage to the narrow-guage railraod. Consequently squadrons of troops, operating in this region or passing through, are always being concentrated at the station. At each concentration, the men “take a stroll” through the town, which is three versts away, and always leave very noticeable traces. The Jewish population of Kalinovka, generally speaking, lived in concord with the rest of the people of the town and surrounding country. But when with the establishment of the Soviet regime two Jewish members entered into the Revolutionary Committee, the non-Jews protested and woud not work with them for any consideration. The admonitions of the commissar who arrived in Kalinovka did no good. The Jewish members of the Revolutionary Committee had to withdraw. The Jews formed a separate “Committee of the Poor”, in which the Jewish poor folk exclusively were concentrated. The first pogrom in Kalinovka was perpetrated March 9, on the departure of the Directory troops. After almost all the units had departed from the station, about forty or fifty Petlurists burst into the town, plundered all the stores and shops, and set on fire many apartments and houses, among them the house of the local Rabbi. Ten Jews were killed. The first days after the entrance of the Soviet forces were quiet. But later the 9th Soviet regiment arrived, which committed considerable looting, during which one Jewish militiamen was killed. After this repeated onslaughts occurred of passing squadrons and individual soldiers, who seized provisions and valuable articles. At the beginning of July an insugent movent began among the peasants of this region. On July 13 there was already disquiet in the town. On this day some Soviet military units arrived to fight the rebels. On the way the Soviet forces plundered some of the Jewish inhabitants. On the 14th some bands burst into the place. They remained there only a few hours, but found time to devastate the Jewish population and kill seven or eight people. The local residents also took part in the looting of the Jewish stores. Heifetz, E. J. U. D. (1921). The slaughter of the Jews in the Ukraine in 1919. New York, NY, Thomas Seltzer.
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