The monument is located on the mass graves in the forest near Kozak/Kosak village. There are three mass graves and three steles on each of them. The first and second stele are identical – black headstones with Hebrew and Ukrainian inscriptions and stars of David at their round tops. The third stele is an irregular parallele piped with a Magen David and a Hebrew inscription on its right side and a Menorah and a Ukrainian inscription on its left side. Lying granite slabs are located near the every headstone. The territory of the three mass graves is surrounded by a metal fence with an arched gate decorated by stars of David.
According to a testimony, in the weeks leading up to the Jewish holiday of Shavuot in 1942, a rumor began to spread among the Jews of Korzec, to the effect that the Germans had ordered Soviet POWs and peasants from the surrounding villages to dig pits in the forest near the village of Kozak, located some 8 kilometers north of the town. According to the same testimony, many Jews were reluctant to credit the rumor. [Read the full story]
This 17-page gallery, created by Steven Gershman, includes Holocaust memorials in:
Sochovola
Kosak/Kozak
Mezirich
Nevirkov
Rovno
This video shows the return of Koretzer survivors from Canada, Israel and the United States to Ukraine in 1994 to unveil the monument to the 5,000 Jews of Korets killed in 1941-1942 (Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, Ukrainian and English).
The monument at Kosak/Kozak reads:
In memory of Jews of Koretz who were killed by the German Nazis and their collaborators from 1941-1942 (Hebrew date 5701-5702). Their memories will never be extinguished. Erected by the Koretzer Organization in Israel, USA, and Canada.
Unfinished Business, by Reesa Tessler. She recollects from a visit to Koretz Russia, 1989:
It was October 1989, and it could have been June, 1941. A 48 year dream for my father and a lifelong fantasy for me was about to be realized. We approached the road sign that read in Russian “Koretz” and we trembled. My father and mother, Sonia and Mendel Tessler were born and grew up in a small European town called Koretz. In 1941, separately, anticipating the onslaught of the Nazi forces, they left their homes, their families and way of life forever. [...]