Radun ( Belarusian and

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: ; lt, Rodūnia, Rodūnė; , yi, ראַדין ''Radin'') is a town in

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

, in the

Voranava district Voranava District ( be, Воранаўскі раён; russian: Вороновский район) is a district (raion) of Grodno Region in Belarus. Its administrative center is the urban-type settlement of Voranava. Demographics Ethnic compos ...

Grodno Region Grodno Region ( pl, Grodzieńszczyzna) or Grodno Oblast or Hrodna Voblasts ( be, Гродзенская вобласць, ''Hrodzienskaja vobłasć'', , ''Haradzienščyna''; russian: Гродненская область, ''Grodnenskaya oblast' ...

History

Before the second world war, around 1,000 Jews lived in town. It is famous for being the home of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, known as the

Chofetz Chaim The ''Sefer'' ''Chafetz Chaim'' (or ''Chofetz Chaim'' or ''Hafetz Hayim'') ( he, חָפֵץ חַיִּים, trans. "Desirer of Life") is a book by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, who is also called "the Chofetz Chaim" after it. The book deals with ...

, and his

Raduń Yeshiva The Radin Yeshiva, originally located in Radun, Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Belarus), was established by Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (known as the ''Chofetz Chaim'' after the title of his well-known ''sefer'') in 1869. Because of its fou ...

founded in 1869. After the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

in September 1939, Radun was occupied by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and incorporated into the

Byelorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...

on 14 November 1939. In 1940, most of the yeshiva students were transferred to the United States via Japan. From June 1941 until 13 July 1944, Radun was occupied by Germany and administered as a part of the ''

Generalbezirk Weißruthenien Generalbezirk Weissruthenien (General District White Ruthenia) was one of the four administrative subdivisions of ''Reichskommissariat Ostland'', the 1941-1945 civilian occupation regime established by Nazi Germany for the administration of the th ...

'' of ''

Reichskommissariat Ostland The Reichskommissariat Ostland (RKO) was established by Nazi Germany in 1941 during World War II. It became the civilian occupation regime in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the western part of Byelorussian SSR. German planning documents initia ...

''. On November 16, 1941, a fenced ghetto was established on Zhydovska Street, previously a Jewish street. There were also Jews from neighbouring villages gathered in the ghetto: Dovguielishki, Zabolote, Zhyrmuny and Nacha. More than 2,000 Jews were confined inside the ghetto. On May 10, 1942, 100 young Jews were requisitioned to dig pits in the Jewish cemetery. As the working Jews attempted a mass-escape, many of them were shot. When the ghetto was liquidated, more than 1,500 Jews were killed by the Germans and the local police. Nearly 300 skilled artisans were kept alive, and later sent to

Shchuchin Shchuchyn and Ščučyn ( be, Шчучын, Ščučyn, ; russian: Щýчин, ; pl, Szczuczyn Litewski; lt, Šukynas; Yiddish: שטשוטשין, Shtshutshin) is a city in the Grodno Region of Belarus. It is the center of Shchuchyn District. The ...

ghetto and from there, after a while, to their deaths in an unknown location. As of 2018, there are no Jews living in Radun.

References

External links

* Holocaust locations in Belarus Jewish communities destroyed in the Holocaust Lidsky Uyezd Nowogródek Voivodeship (1919–1939) Populated places in Grodno Region Urban-type settlements in Belarus Vilnius Voivodeship Voranava District {{Belarus-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links