Strakholessye is six versts from the village Pechki. There were nine Jewish families there. The village consisted of about three hundred houses. Most of the Jews are artisans. The relations between the Jews and the peasants were so good that Strakholessye was known for its friendliness to the Jews. Strakholesseye did not give any volunteers to the gangs of Struk. Under the rule of Struk the peasants began to cavil at the Jews. Now the peasants have become sobered again.
II. TOWN OF SMELA ( F KIEV)
a. Testimony of Cantor Gersh Zaslavsky, 60 Years Old
On the 1 6th of May, 1919, about seven o'clock in the morning, I came to the synagogue to pray. When I had put on my "tfilin" (phylacteries), two armed soldiers rushed in and called out, "Jews, get together!" They began to beat us and drive us out of the synagogue (there were in all eight old men there). When I asked one of the soldiers where they were taking us, he said, smiling ironically, "You communists will be taken to death." A few minutes later I found myself in the midst of 42 Jews, and we were told to proceed by twos. The insults and annoyances to which we were exposed are beyond description. One old man had his beard pulled out. In this way we were led / along the main street to the Smela station. There a railroad car was standing ready, and we were ordered to get in. We climbed in by standing on the shoulders of the others. The car was then locked up, and shifted awhile hither and thither. Then they began to shoot. After we had gone about three versts the car was finally opened. A man came iii and threw us out one by one, shooting after each as he was thrown out. Terrible cries of "Shma Isroel" (Hear, O Israel) could be heard far away. The blood of those shot flowed into a brook nearby. I was the eighteenth. As by a miracle I fell alive among the dead. Dead men fell on
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top of me and I swam in their blood. When the slaughter was over, a wild drunken voice called out, "Hurrah! all Jewish communists are dead. Comrade sailor (leader of the Grigoriev bands), what shall we do now?" "Go home," was the answer. "It is not worth while to use up any more bullets on the Jews." Before leaving, one of them said that he had noticed that one of the communists had good shoes on (he meant me). He took off my shoes, and to make sure that I was dead he stabbed at me with his bayonet. After the Grigoriev men left, I raised myself with great difficulty and looked around. Then I saw the frightful scene. The Jews who had been shot lay on the ground and the blood flowed into the river. Completely exhausted I began to walk at random. Wading in water up to my neck I crossed the river and went into the woods. I came near a tree. Not far from this tree stood a man with a machine gun, shooting in the direction of the tree. I threw myself on the ground and pressed against the tree. Thus I lay 48 hours. In the evening I drank water from the river. A peasant came along. I asked him for a piece of bread. He refused. Another peasant came along and gave me a piece. When at last I came out of the woods to go home, I saw many wagons carrying loads of wood. I asked the drivers to take me under their protection, but they all emphatically refused. They would not even let me hold on to a board, though I was nearly ready to drop of exhaustion. With difficulty I reached home. GERSH ZASLAVSKY.
b. Testimony of Dina Lif shuts, 32 Years Old
On the eleventh of May, about three o'clock in the night, there was a knock at our door. Three men in military uniform came in and asked for arms. They searched the house, but found no weapons. Then they chased us all into a room of the sub-tenant and kept asking for arms. Ekhiel Lifshiitz, my father-in-law, affirmed on his knees that there were no arms in the house. Schlema Lifshiitz, a son of the old man, showed them a document which proved that he had only recently returned from a German military prison. At first this seemed to do some good. A few minutes later, however, they were all told to place themselves against the wall. One of the bandits gave the order to shoot. Schlema Lifshiitz fell dead. Ekhiel Lifshiitz was severely wounded. They wanted to kill me too. But one of them had pity on a five-months old infant that I was carrying in my arms. I remained alone in the room, which was overflowing with the blood of the men killed. Another band came in, and when they saw the severely wounded Ekhiel Lifshiitz, they began to shoot at him and at the dead body of Schlema Lifshiitz. I sat for a time as if petrified. When I came to myself somewhat I noticed that Schlema Lifshiitz was still alive. I asked for medical assistance, but it was refused. I was compelled to take him to the hospital, where he died three hours after the operation.
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