ZHYTOMYR, CCCP (UKRAINE) – AUGUST 7, 1941 During the Nazi occupation of Ukraine, a tragic event took place in the city of Zhytomyr, illustrating the brutality of the Holocaust. Two Jewish judges, Moshe Kogan and Wolf Kieper, were arrested by the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) on charges of being members of the Soviet regional court and collaborating with the NKVD secret police. On August 7, 1941, they were publicly hanged in the town square of Zhytomyr. Before their execution, signs in Ukrainian and German were attached to their bodies, labeling them as “Jewish assistants of the Cheka” (the Soviet secret police) and executioners.
At the same time, more than 400 Jewish men were arrested on the orders of the local German military commander. These men were held under SS supervision until a gallows was erected in the square. They were then forced to watch the execution of Kogan and Kieper. Following the execution, the detainees were taken to the horse cemetery (Pferdefriedhof) outside the city, where they were shot by SD units and German soldiers.
This event was part of the broader context of Nazi policies toward Jews in the occupied territories of the Soviet Union, which involved the systematic extermination of the Jewish population. Public executions were intended to intimidate the local population and demonstrate the power of the occupiers. Photographs of this event, showing the hanging of Kogan and Kieper, were used as propaganda to justify Nazi repression against Jews and other groups.
The story of Moshe Kogan and Wolf Kieper serves as a reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the importance of remembering the victims of Nazi terror.
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