The first preserved mention of Jews living in Lachowicze dates back to 1623. The community became most numerous at the end of the 19th century - in 1897, there were 3,846 Jews of 5,016 people, which translated to 77% of the number of the inhabitants of the town. The community began to shrink due to devastation done during World War I and poor situation during the post-war crisis. In 1921, 1656 Jews lived in Lachowicze, which made up over 58% of the total population.
In the 19th century, two Chasidic currents clashed in the town. In the mid-century, the supporters of the Stolin tzadikim had the upper hand, but later the Karlin Chasidim gained clout. Despite the dominance of the Chasidim, from the 1890s, the Zionists became active. They carried out their activities among young people, especially in the interwar period. There was a Hebrew school in Lachowicze affiliated to the Tarbut network and 50 students attended local yeshiva.
After the occupation of the town by the Red Army had started in September 1939, 779 refugees from the German-occupied territories, most of them Jews, were drawn there. Many of the refugees were later deported to Siberia.
The German occupation of the town started on 26 June 1941. Already on 28 June, 22 leaders of the local community were executed - Jews, Poles and Byelorussians, mainly teachers and doctors. A few days later, 82 people were killed in a local pogrom. The Jews were forced to pay a contribution and surrender all items made of gold. The collection of valuables was carried out by the Judenrat, announcing to their fellow Jews that this saved the community from a mass pogrom. The occupation authorities issued a number of restrictions on the Jewish community, including that its members had to sew yellow patches on their outer clothing, on their chests and backs, which were later replaced by Stars of David. Jews were not allowed to walk on the pavements, on pain of death they could not leave the town, etc.
The ghetto in Lachowicze was established in July 1941. On 28 October 1941, tragic events occurred. The local and Lithuanian police opened fire to Jews, who were ordered to gather in the market square. About 150 people were killed. Other sources indicate that the massacre was carried out on 2 November 1941 by German soldiers of the 8th company of the 727th infantry regiment, stationed in Baranowicze. Further accounts state that on 28 October 1941, about 2,000 of the 3,500 Jews of Lachowicze, who were considered “unproductive” were murdered near the railway station. The number of about 2,000 Jews is also indicated as the number of victims for the whole of 1941.
In the summer of 1942, the Germans, starting to liquidate the ghetto, encountered resistance. It did not turn out to be successful, however, and 1,200 people - the last Jewish inhabitants of Lachowicze - were killed. However, there is also information that the ghetto ceased to exist in the spring of 1943.
It is estimated that a total of about 6,000 Jews were murdered in Lachowicze. In 1993, an obelisk was erected in the place where Jews were shot in July 1942, between today's Orłowskiego (Polish: ul. Orłowskiego) and Oktiabrskoj Streets. In the same year, a monument was also erected at the site where the Holocaust victims were buried by the Wiedźma River.
Bibliography
- Lachowicze, [in:] The Encyclopedia of Jewish life before and during the Holocaust, eds. S. Spector, G. Wigoder, New York 2001, p. 698.
- Rozenbłat E., Jelienskaja I., Lachowiczi, [in:] Holokost na tieritorii SSSR, Moskwa 2009, p. 559.