German soldiers advance; Jewish forced to dig a pit

Identifier
irn1000436
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1991.260.1
  • RG-60.0282
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Creator(s)

Scope and Content

The German military enters Riga, Latvia: jeeps (some full of soldiers, some pulling ammunition) drive through cobblestoned city streets. Views of destruction all around: bodies and dead horses, rubble, shattered buildings. A sense of grim, utter destruction pervades. Pan of the bombed-out facades ending at an artist sitting in the street, sketching the sight. 03:28:15 At Kužiai forest (15km from Siauliai, Lithuania) rounded-up Jews, many in suits, some bearded and in religious garb, jump off the back of an open truck, shovels in hand. They are made to dig in field/orchard, then move large rocks, under supervision of German soldier, who struts and shouts commands. Medium CU of men taking off their shirts. Strong sense of fear, intimidation. (the Jews from Siauliai are later murdered and buried in this pit on June 28, 1941)

Note(s)

  • This footage is also available at John E. Allen, Inc. See Story 110, Film ID 145 and Story 81, Film ID 140 for duplicate footage.

  • One of the Jewish men killed in the Kužiai forest was Abraham Shwarts, a lawyer. He had a wife, Bluma, and two children (Yaakov and Grisha). Grisha (8 years old) was killed in the children's aktion in Siauliai ghetto. Yaakov survived the Holocaust.

Subjects

Places

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.