On Tuesday, June 23, quite unexpectedly about ten armed peasants appeared in my house, and with the words "Sokolovsky's men have not been here," took me into the dining-room and demanded money and other things of me. Two peasants began to search me, and took away my money, while the others looted in the living-room and in the next room. They stole a lot of things, and demanded the key of the chest where clothing was kept. I said I didn't have the keys with me, but would go for them in the next room. As I passed through the hall, I noticed that there was no watch, and making up my mind that death was unavoidable in the house in any case, I went out through the hall into the courtyard, and then ran
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
through the village and came to the village of Sobolevka, where my family lives (did live). When I went past the church in our village there stood the local commissar, Naum Scheling, an inhabitant of the place. I asked him for help. "I am afraid myself," was the commissar's reply. I took my wife and three children to Iskorost. In my house in Shershni I left my old father, aged 65, and my aunt. All the way I did not know what had happened to them, and only when I arrived here I learned that my father, Yukel Gines, had been killed by the highwaymen. I do not know under what circumstances.
JOSEPH GINES.
II. Testimony of Shaia Vaks, Aged 53, Petty Trader
I live with my family in the village of Shershni. My family consists of nine souls, together with the family of my eldest son, who lives with me. I am an old inhabitant of that village. We have been living there for forty years. I have my own house.
On Tuesday, June 23, about 5 P.M., I went out of my house to go to see the local commissar, Scheling. The trouble was that local youths had locked the door of our house from the outside the day before. This prank disturbed my wife and she insisted that I should go and tell the commissar about it. When I was at the house of the chief militiaman my wife rushed in to me in great alarm and said that armed men had come into our house and wanted to kill her, and demanded money. She told how these men, who called themselves Sokolovsky's men, had demanded money, and when she said she had no money, they began to shout at her, saying: "You are all communists." My wife and daughter declared that they were not communists. Then the armed peasants demanded that everyone in the house should sign a written statement that they were not communists. "You Jews and communists burn up our villages," said these people. The peasants took all who were in the house, including children, and took them all to the "commander" on the other side of the river. They were all taken to the house of Naivelzh (who was afterwards killed). Other Jews from other houses were also brought there. There were eighteen in all. There all of them were made to stand in line, and one of the peasants gave orders to load rifles; "and do a good job," he said, "so that we can shoot down eight people at a shot." Then my daughter and daughter-in-law began to beg for mercy, promising to give them in return the gold hidden in the yard. After this
UKRAINE
statement the bandits showed lively interest, and took my daughter and daughter-in-law to my courtyard, where the gold and money were given to them. The peasants went away. Before these peasants came back with our people, other bandits had entered the house and wrecked it completely, not leaving anything whole, breaking the windows and smashing the doors.
SHAIA VAKS.
III. Mikhel Naivat, Aged 43, Married, Four Children;
Merchant
My permanent home is in the village of Shershni. On Monday, June 22, I left Shershni for the fair at Chenovichi. At Chenovichi I met my father, who had come there from Shershni previously. On Tuesday my father went from Chenovichi back to Shershni. On the way he met a Jew who was going from Shershni to Melen and who told him that things were in a bad way in Shershni, and advised him not to go there. My father thought it over and went on to Shershni in spite of this. When he entered the village armed men attacked him and led him to our house. The daughter and daughter-in-law of Vaks saw this. The bandits beat my father, then led him to the place where all the other Jews of the village were assembled, and there shot him.
My whole family, my wife and little children, remained in the village of Shershni. I do not yet know what happened to them, and cannot get any news of them. It is said that "Sokolovsky's men" are still in "our village. I should like to go there and get my family and go away. My father was 65 years old.
MIKHEL NAIVAT.
F DOBRIN ( F VOLHYNIA)