On October 28, 1941 the first murder operation took place. The Jews of the ghetto, who had been practically starved to death and were exhausted by a month of hard labor under intolerable conditions, were taken northeast of the city to Peshchanaya Hill near Peshchanoye village. There they were forced to undress and were shot in groups. The young children were killed by being given something poisonous to smell. According to different sources, the number of Jews murdered during the first operation ranged from 1,000 to 1,600. Several Jewish children who were discovered in the local hospital were taken to the murder site in carts and shot. According to several sources, between the beginning of November 1941 and mid-January 1942 several other murder operations were conducted by the German forces at the same murder site. Among the victims in January 1942 were several doctors, a nurse, and a pharmacist, who had been kept alive until the Germans found substitutes for them.

More information: Yad Vashem