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war and social upheaval: World War II -- the Holocaust in Ukraine Kharkov
The Holocaust in Ukraine: Kharkov (October 1941-January 1942)
Figure 1.--This tragic photograph shows a starving Jewish boy in Kharkov a few weeks after the Germans seized the city, sometime in November 1941. This was just before the remaining Jews in the city were rounded up and confined in an industrial brracks. Notice his tin cup, he is hoping that someone will drop a morsel of food in the cup. He is in the street because German regulations did not permit Jews to use the sidewalk. Given the openess of the photogrph and the use of color film, the photograph was taken by an official German photographer seeking to recird the the German actions against Jews, including children.
Kharkov in the eastern Ukraine was after Kiev the second largest Ukranian city. It would become the most fought over city in the Soviet Union, changing hands several times durung 1941-43. Khrakov It was located outside of
the Pale of Settlement. Thus for many years Jews were not allowed to settle there. This did not begin to settle there. This did not begin to change until the 1ate-18th century. And only in the 20th century do we begin to see substantial numbers of Jews. At the time of the World war II NAZI invasion, there was despite the Soviet atheist campaign a substantial Jewish community in Kharkov. There were some 130,000 Jews out of a total city population of 830,000 people or over 15 percent. The city's easterly location meant that most Jews were able to escape east. The Germans entered the city (October 24, 1941). Khrakov was located far enough east that most of the Jewish residents had time to escape to the East. Here we are not entirely sure what Jews in the Soviet Union knew about the ethnic chsracter of German attrocities as the Germans swept east. Soviet propaganda before, during, and even after the War did not deal with the virulently anti-Semetic character of the NAZI regime and the Holocaust. Even after the War, Soviet memorials at the Babi-Yar killing site near Kiev made no mention of Jews. There was, however, a Jewish community and community institutions in Kharkov and they seemed to have successfully spread the word, explaining why so many Jews fled the city. There were organized evacuations for those involved with war industries and factories moved east. Others were on their own. Kharkov became the headquarters of the German 6th Army commanded by fervent NAZI General Friedrich von Paulus who would subsequently play a major role in struggle in the East. Paulis declared martial law and began to issue regulations for civilians. He followed standard German policy of taking hostages to ensure civilian compliance with occupation regulations. And the NAZI approach was to take mostly Jews to serve as hostages. This provided a handy excuse for killing Jews. The hostages provided a ready supply of people to be shor for any violation of martial law and occupation regulations. The NKVD before departing Khrakov mined many important buildings, knowing that the Germans would move into them. This was a tactic done in Kiev and other Soviet cities where Soviet authorities had time to plan evacuations. NKVD agents gave the German military and civilian authorities time to move into the major buildings and then in a coordinated action blew them up (mid-November). The German reaction was to shoot hostages. They shot hostages already in custody and rond up more, again mostly Jews, to shoot. Thge Germans than began to concentrate Khrakov's remaining Jews to simplify the killing process. Jews were ordered to move into the empty barracks for workers at an evacuated machine and tractor plant (December 14). They were given 2 days to so. It was located in Kharkov's District 10. The barracks had no windows and were unheated. Once the Jews were secured inside, no food was provided. Water was available only on a limited basis. They began to die of both starvation and disease. To speed the process, the German carried out the first killing action (late December). Than all of the Jews still allived were killed (January 2-8). The killing action took place at Drobitski Yar, a ravine located about 8 km. from the city. About 15,000 men, women, and children were shot there. [Soviet Commission] The combined Jewish death toll from the Drobitski Yar action, hospitals, orphanages, and old age homes was 21,685 individuals. [German sources] Kharkov subsequently changed hands several, but finally permanently liberated by the Red army (August 23, 1943).
