Polotsk Ghetto: 1942 Day of Genocide

The Polotsk Ghetto was established in August 1941 in Polotsk as part of the Nazi program to exterminate Jews. At that time, about 6,500 Jews lived in the city. They were deprived of life through starvation, beatings, forced labor, and then executed. Reports indicate that Belarusian policemen guarding the ghetto participated in the crimes. Those unable to work were killed immediately. Thousands of bodies were thrown into pits, and later attempts were made to burn them to erase evidence of the crimes. According to various estimates, between 7,000 and 8,000 Jews of Polotsk perished. Belarus remembers and will never forget.