Testimony of B. Barinstein, Taken Down by S. Y. Maizlish,
July 28
The town of Kalinovka, canton of Vinnitza, counting about 500 Jewish families, is on the railroad line Kasatin-Zhmerinka, 20 versts from Vinnitza. The station of Kalinovka is a transfer point from the broad-guage to the narrow-guage railroad. 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 would 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 com-
GAISIN: BAND OF VOLYNETZ 405
mitted considerable looting, during which one Jewish militiaman 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 insurgent movement 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 bands of 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 Jewish stores.
GAISIN ( F PODOLIA)
Pogrom of May 12, 1919 Testimony of Moisei Spielberg
Approximately in March the Petlurists departed, and the 7th Soviet regiment came in. The pogrom was perpetrated by the band of Volynetz. He himself came from that region, from the village of Karlovka. He was a young peasant aged about 23; was formerly a clerk in the forestry service. His band consisted of about four or five hundred men; it was accompanied by a great crowd of peasants, in all nearly 1,500 men. The garrison consisted of 80 Christian Red soldiers and communists, and about 200 Jewish lads, aged from 18 to 20, who didn't know anything about handling a gun. They could not hold back the attack; many of them were killed. The band burst into the town and from 6 A.M. to 2 P.M. kept killing all Jews. In all 340 people were killed. They stole principally money and articles of value. Very few household goods were stolen, so that the homes did not suffer much. They took some edibles, but very little clothing.
The band remained in Gaisin. The peasants came together from the villages, and elected a Revolutionary Committee for the whole canton, of 73 men, of whom 13 came from Gaisin itself. The attitude to the Soviet regime was hostile. After 3 P.M. the Russian intellectuals sent a deputation to the headquarters to ask that there be no more killing. In the gymnasium building almost 1,500 Jews were gathered; they wanted to shoot them all, but thanks to the insistence of the intellectuals, they were released.
UKRAINE