On August 2, 1941, apparently in the morning, Motol was surrounded by the 1st SS Cavalry Unit. In the afternoon, Jewish men between the ages of 15 and 60 were forced to assemble in the market square. The Germans, assisted by some locals (both adults and children), searched the streets and houses for hidden Jews. At the assembly point, the Jewish men were abused and beaten. Thirty young Jewish men were selected and sent to the designated shooting site to dig pits. According to Soviet reports, these pits were dug 2 kilometers east of Motol, in a field 500 meters east of the village of Osownica. Some testimonies indicate that the pits were dug in the village of Mołodów, near the former estate of the Skirmunc family, left of the road from Motol to Mołodów, near the Jasiołda River. As soon as the pits were ready, the thirty young men were shot inside them. The rest of the Jewish men were told that they would be taken to work, but they were actually sent to the pits. Upon reaching the killing site, they were apparently first housed in shacks, and then led toward the pits, forced to lie down inside them, and shot with a machine gun. Some sources indicate that the Jewish men were stripped naked prior to being shot. According to various estimates, 800-1,800 Jewish men were shot on that day. The soil over the pits kept moving for some time, since many of the victims, who had not been killed by the bullets, were buried alive, eventually dying from suffocation.

More information: Yad Vashem

The Jewish women and children of Motol were locked on the premises of the local Great Synagogue and the Polish school on August 2, 1941, after the Jewish men had been taken away to be shot. The women and children were kept under lock and key, with no food or water, for about a day. On August 3, they were assembled in rows, grouped by family, and sent to the shooting pits. The Soviet reports do not mention this fact, merely stating that the victims were taken from the assembly point in the market square directly to the shooting site, which lay in the vicinity of the village of Kaliły. According to the Soviet reports, as soon as the victims reached the Gaich Ravine south of Motol, they were shot in pits that had been prepared for them. According to other sources, the murder site was in the area of the village of Zamosze, which also lay south of Motol. The number of victims shot in the Gaich Ravine is estimated at about 1,500.

More information: Yad Vashem