As a consequence of the post-World War I pogroms, many of those Jews who had survived left Zhabokrych; less than one-thousand remained in the village. In response to the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, many Jews fled deeper into Russia, were evacuated by the authorities, or joined the Soviet Army. These Jews were replaced by refugees forced eastward in advance of the Nazi hordes.

German and Romanian troops occupied Zhabokrych in late July 1941. It was not long before the Nazis and their minions "got down to business" – murdering Jews in accord with their twisted eugenics philosophy.

Yad Vashem's The Untold Stories: The Murder Sites of the Jews in the Occupied Territories of the Former USSR, contains background of the Nazi occupation of Zhabokrych and its aftermath. Read the Zhabokrych Story.

The murder of the Jews happened at three sites, of which two are:

20 July 1941: Kolkhoz Shlyakhom Lenina (In Lenin's Way Collective Farm)
27 July 1941: Zhabokrych Cellars

A memorial to the murdered Jews of Zhabokrych was established by the survivors.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has a set of Oral Histories of people who lived in Zhabokrych during The War.

Holocaust Memorials and Mass Gravesites
(photos by Marla Waltman, 31 May 2012)

(click photos to enlarge)

First Gravesite & Memorial	To Jews — Victims of Nationalism 25 VII 1996
Eternal Memory Victims of Fascism June 1941 — 25 July 1941	Eternal Memory Victims of Fascism June 1941 — 25 July 1941

IAJGS Jewish Cemetery Project Report
reported by Vladimir Moiseevich
interviewed by A.N. Zakrevskiy
augmented by Marla Waltman
The mass grave located at the center of town was dug on 25 July 1941. The entire Jewish Community of 1,920 people was murdered at this site on the same day; only Jews who lived in Zhabokrych are buried here. The mass grave is unmarked except for plaques in Hebrew and in Ukrainian. The burial site is an isolated urban flat land that can be reached by a street running through the town. There is no wall, fence, or gate setting off the grave from the surrounding area. The approximate area encompassing the mass grave is 0.01 hectare. The locations of removed stones are unknown; there are only a few common tombstones, dating from 1946. The municipality owns the property; adjacent properties are residential.	The mass grave was vandalized during World War II and often again in later decades. Occasionally, local residents visit the site. From time to time, individuals come to the mass grave to clean the site and clear away debris; vegetation overgrowth is a seasonal problem, that can prevent access to the graves. There is a moderate threat from uncontrolled access, vandalism, pollution, weather erosion, vegetation, and nearby existing and proposed development. Here is the link to the IAJGS site. Photographs of this mass grave, taken by Marla Waltman in 2012, are shown below.

Entryway Gate	Entryway
Mass Gravesite & Memorial	Victims of Fascism, Eternal Pain & Eternal Memory Zhabokrych 29 III 1941 — 17 II 1944
Gravesite Menorah	Eternal Memory Victims of Fascism June 1941 — 25 July 1941

Third Gravesite & Memorial Former Collective Farm	Mass Gravesite Former Collective Farm
Eternal Memory Victims of Fascism	Menorah Former Collective Farm

This site is hosted at no cost to the public by JewishGen, Inc., a non-profit corporation. If it has been useful to you, or if you are moved by the effort to preserve the memory of our lost communities, your JewishGen-erosity would be greatly appreciated

Top of Page

ZHABOKRYCH, UKRAINE
Zhabokrich, Ukraine	Жабокрич, Yкраïна	ז׳בוקריץ׳
	Holocaust

Zhabokrich, Ukraine

Жабокрич, Yкраïна

ז׳בוקריץ׳

Holocaust Memorials and Mass Gravesites(photos by Marla Waltman, 31 May 2012)

(click photos to enlarge)

Holocaust Memorials and Mass Gravesites
(photos by Marla Waltman, 31 May 2012)