During this year’s March of the Living trip to Poland, participants visited many sites connected to the Holocaust. Among them was a location that receives far less attention than infamous concentration camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau: a forest near Tykocin-Sierki, where thousands of Jews were murdered in August 1941.
Standing in the quiet forest today, it is difficult to imagine the horror that unfolded there more than 80 years ago. Tall trees and peaceful surroundings now occupy a site where an entire community was systematically destroyed.
Before World War 2, Tykocin was home to a thriving Jewish population that had lived in the area for centuries. Families built businesses, celebrated holidays, and contributed to the cultural life of the town. Like countless other Jewish communities across Eastern Europe, their lives were shattered by the Nazi occupation.
According to historical accounts shared during the visit, Jewish residents were removed from ghettos under the false promise of resettlement. They were told they would be moving to a better place and were instructed to bring only a limited amount of personal belongings. Many wore their finest Shabbat clothing, believing they were preparing for a new beginning.
They were transported by trains, instead, to the forest outside Tykocin. Upon arrival, they discovered the large pits had already been dug. Victims were ordered to remove their clothing, line up along the edge of the pits, and were shot. Their bodies were then pushed into the pits, where many would ultimately be buried in mass graves.
The brutality extended beyond the killings themselves. Survivors’ testimonies and historical records describe acts of humiliation and cruelty carried out by the perpetrators.
One woman was reportedly asked by a Nazi soldier whether she would rather he shoot her or her daughter, forcing her to face an unimaginable choice. Another man refused to remove his underwear when ordered to strip. He was beaten and tortured until the soldiers forcibly removed the garment before killing him. Such stories highlight not only the scale of the murders but also the deliberate humiliation and dehumanization that accompanied them.
Entire families were murdered, including children, parents, and grandparents. Within just two days, a centuries-old Jewish community was nearly erased.
Today, three memorial graves stand at the site: one dedicated to children and two for adults. Visitors place small stones on the memorials, following a long-standing Jewish tradition that symbolizes remembrance and respect for the deceased. For many victims buried there, few surviving relatives remained to mourn them.
The visit serves as a reminder that the Holocaust did not occur only in concentration camps. Across Eastern Europe, forests, fields, and small towns became sites of mass murder. Places like Tykocin reveal how entire communities disappeared, often with little recognition outside the regions where the atrocities occurred.
As Holocaust survivors become fewer in number, preserving and sharing these stories grows increasingly important. The forest at Tykocin-Sierki stands not only as a memorial to those who were murdered there, but also as a warning of the consequences of hatred, dehumanization, and indifference. Remembering these victims ensures that their lives, and the lessons of their deaths, are never forgotten.
