Hoduciszki — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

Hoduciszki

At the outbreak of World War II, there were approximately 870 Jews living in Hodochyszki - more than a third of its inhabitants. Most of them were engaged in trade and crafts. In the town there were Jewish parties and youth movements, including Zionist and the Bund, as well as Jewish educational and cultural institutions, including a Yiddish school and a "Tarbut" school. Following the conquest of the town by the Red Army in the second half of September 1939, private shops were closed or confiscated and life has changes. The Germans conquered Hodochyszki on July 2, 1941, during which about 200 Jews were murdered in the town. A few days after the occupation, the Germans began recruiting Jews for forced labor and ordered Jews to establish a Judenrat.

On August 15, 1941, the Jews were ordered to leave their homes within two hours and move to the ghetto. One small street was assigned to the ghetto. On September 26, 1941, some 300 Jews from the nearby village of Stojaciszok were brought to the ghetto, most of whom were Jewish. A few days later, residents of the Hoduciszki ghetto were deported to the Poligon transit camp near Švenčionys, and after a few days they were murdered there.