THE POGROM OF ZELENY'S UNIT AT POGREBISHCHE

(August 18-21, 1919)

Deposition of B.O. Lifschitz

The town of Pogrebishche is situated on the Khrystynivka - Kazatin rail line; it has 1,800 Jews and 5,000 Christians.

Our town constituted an exception in the whole district. In all the neighbouring towns and villages, like Tetiev, Pliskov, Ruzhin, etc., the Jewish population was absolutely defenceless; access to these places was very easy for the units of Sokolovsky, Tiutiunik, and others. By contrast, for a long time Pogrebishche was like an impregnable fortress for all these units. They approached numerous times, sometimes as close as three verstes, and each time they had to retreat before the resistance of the Jewish self-defence force.

The strength of this force totalled 300 members. Almost all the Jewish population of Pogrebishche, young and old, female and male, was armed. The detachment possessed guns of many types, revolvers, hand grenades, bombs, etc. It was not unusual to encounter in the street an old Jew whose hair had all turned gray, with a gun slung over his shoulder. The women and the elderly who were not familiar with firearms armed themselves as best they could; they carried pikes they had fashioned, hatchets, clubs, and explosives. Nobody in Pogrebishche walked empty-handed. As for the self-defence force, it was organized in accordance with all the principles of military science. There were cavalry, sentries constantly on duty, a reconnaissance branch, liaison agents, a company commander, a headquarters, and all the other attributes of a combat unit.

The Pogrebishche force had acquired great popularity in the district; the units which operated in the area considered it a serious military force and did not risk engaging it in battle. Often, in times of danger, neighbouring towns requested its support; it sent detachments to Spitchentsy, 12 verstes from Pogrebishche, to Pliskov, to Dziounkov, Davgalevka, etc. The heroic resistance which the Pogrebishche force put up against the units in the region enraged the latter, who failed to pierce this impregnable citadel. During their sojourns at Uman, Borshchagovka, and elsewhere, they vowed to have it out one day with Pogrebishche and not to leave a single stone in place. Thus passed the whole summer until the final approach of Petlura's troops towards the middle of August.

On Monday, August 13, on its way from Khrystynivka to Kazatin, one of Petlura's detachments occupied our town. On arrival, the ataman (headman) of the detachment summoned the leaders of the Jewish self-defence force, received them in a friendly manner, and in their presence, hailed all the members of the force, who had not paused in their valiant defence of the town against the units' attacks.

The next day, August 14, the ataman began disarming the Jewish self-defence force, justifying such measure on the grounds that the force was no longer needed. "The Jewish population no longer has any danger to fear," declared the representative of Petlura, stating that "in future we will defend the town against any attack or invasion." Moreover, he added, there were no more units in the area. The headquarters of the force accordingly turned in to Petlura's men the poorest weapons; the rest were hidden away, just as planned in advance.

Petlura's detachment then left our town and continued its march towards Kazatin. It was followed by other detachments of Petlura's regular troops. These movements lasted 15 days. The troops did not stop with us for long; they left in our town only a force commanded by one of Petlura's officers.

On Friday, August 17, disturbing rumours circulated in the town; people reported that Zeleny and his unit were marching on Pogrebishche. The Jews wanted to arm themselves again and started to pull out the weapons they had hidden. Many wanted to send their wives and children to neighbouring areas. The militia leader intervened, reassuring the Jewish population that he would not permit any pogrom and prohibiting the Jews from arming themselves as, he said, that would lead to a massacre. He prohibited the Jews from leaving town and placed the exit routes under surveillance with the goal, he declared, of avoiding any panic.

On Saturday, August 18, Zeleny's troops made their entry in a peaceful manner. But during the course of the day, the new arrivals suddenly threw off their masks. A large massacre began. It was not even a pogrom in the true sense of the word, where murder and pillage alternate or occur simultaneously, when individuals pillage and murder at the same time. Zeleny's soldiers did not pillage; they didn't touch any precious objects or money. They seemed entirely absorbed in the carrying out of a ritual; they went from house to house and massacred entire families, not sparing anyone.

One incident demonstrates to what point they were indifferent to money and consumed only with massacre. Thirteen members of a rich family having been slaughtered, the fourteenth and final member begged the soldiers to spare him. They demanded that he give them Czarist banknotes. He gave them 40,000 rubles. They took the banknotes and immediately ripped them up and burned them before his eyes. Then they let him be.

The number of dead reached about 400, including three members of the self-defence force. Two hundred women were slaughtered in the park, where they had taken refuge. In general, none who fell into the soldiers' hands escaped. They killed for the most part with knives rather than sabres.

It is said that some Russians defended a young Jewish girl and saved her life. It is also reported that a Pole, manager of the local sugar refinery, hid a young Jewish girl in his home.

As already mentioned, Zeleny's people touched neither possessions nor money. But they were followed by the local peasants, who pillaged every Jewish residence from top to bottom. They destroyed what they could not take. In every house, windows were shattered, doors were broken down, furniture was smashed, and so on.

Several days later a commissioner sent by Petlura arrived from Berdichev to conduct an "investigation into the pogrom".

Translated from: Comité des délégations juives,
Les pogromes en Ukraine sous les gouvernements ukrainiens
(1917-1920), pp. 91-93 (Paris, 1927)
by Gary Nachshen (March 2000)

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