On the night of May 10-11, 1942, the German Feldgendarmerie, policemen, and local auxiliaries surrounded the ghetto. All the Jews were ordered to assemble in the market square at 11 AM, but about 500 inmates managed to escape into the forest, and a further group of about 200 hid in the ghetto itself. The 2,700 Jews who showed up in the square were told to hand over their money and other valuables. The Lida Gebietskommissar, Hermann Hanweg, and his deputy for Jewish affairs, Leopold Windisch, then carried out a selection. Those who appeared fit for work were sent back to the ghetto, while the remaining Jews were held in the market square until evening without food or water. In the meantime, local peasants were forced to dig pits in the forest on the southeastern edge of the town. When the pits were ready, the Germans forced the Jews from the square toward them, and shot them all. According to estimates, more than 1,800 Jews were killed in this murder operation.

More information: Yad Vashem