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Official seal of Dzyatlava / Dyatlovo  Дзятлава / Дятлово Alternate names: Dzyatlava and Дзятлава [Bel], Zdzięcioł [Pol], Dyatlovo and Дятлово  [Rus], Zhetl and זשעטל  [Yid], Zietela [Lith], Dsjatlawa [Ger], Zdjatlava, Zdzentsyul, Dzentsel, Zhetel, Zetel, Zetl, Zietil, Zitl, Zozhetsiol, Zsetl, Dzięcioł, Dzięciołki, Dzdietel. Jewish population: 3,033 (in 1897), 3,450 (in 1926). 53°28' N, 25°24' E, 20 miles WSW of Navahrudak (Nowogródek), 26 miles N of Slonim, 29 miles S of Lida. Important residents of the Jewish community:

KehilaLinks. Bernard Kouchel [Z"l] [May 2009 and Oct 2014]]

    • Pinkus Zhetel (Tel Aviv, 1957) JewishGen-erosity Projects: Dzyatlava (Zhetl), Belarus - Yizkor Book
      • JewishGen Belarus SIG
      • Museum of the History of Polish Jews
      • Jewish Records Indexing Poland Town Page
      • Shtetl Finder (1980), p. 126: "Zhetl".
      • Pinkas HaKehilot, Poland, Vol. 8 (2005), pp. 336-343: "Zdzięcioł".
      • Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 1498: "Zdzieciol".
      • Wikipedia. [Oct 2014]
      • The Ghetto: "The Soviet forces invaded eastern Poland on September 17, 1939, and stationed in the Voivodeship area until the outbreak of their own war with Germany in June 1941. After the Soviet rapid retreat, and several months of Nazi ad-hoc persecution, on February 22, 1942 the new German authorities officially created a ghetto for all local Jews. ...The first Jews settled in Zdzięcioł in 1580. The town was the birthplace of preachers Jacob of Dubno and Yisrael Meir Kagan. In 1897, three-quarters of the city's total population of 3,979 were Jewish. In 1926, in the reborn Polish Republic, there were 3,450 Jews out of 4,600 people in Zdzięcioł (also 75 percent). In 1939-1941 many Jewish refugees arrived in the town from western and central Poland which was attacked by Germany in the beginning of World War II. Soviet tanks rolled into Zdzięcioł in the evening of September 18, 1939. Police station was already abandoned by the Poles, with only papers scattered on the floor. Next morning, Mayor Henryk Poszwiński was arrested by the NKVD along with school principals, sołectwo council, gmina clerks and one priest, and taken to prison in Nowogródek never to be heard from again. By the time of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Jewish population of Zdzięcioł (Dziatłava) had increased to more than 4,500. ..." more information and pictures. [Aug 2015]

CEMETERY:

1997 visit: A family member received a letter, which states the current condition of the one remaining Jewish cemetery in Zhetel and solicits donations to raise $10,000 to build a fence around the cemetery. The letter mentions that the first and oldest Jewish cemetery in Zhetel has already been destroyed and a housing project built on its site. The letter mentions Risha and Aaron Kovensky as the Zhetlers who recently visited the remaining cemetery and reported on its condition at the annual Zhetlers' meeting this year in Israel. The leader of the Zhetler landsmanschaft is Eframi Shefer, Irgun Zetl, Rechov Shibat Zion 41 Ramat-Gan, 52-391 Israel. If you would like to discuss Zhetel, please contact me. I have the Zhetel Yizkor Book and will gladly do searches for you. I would also be glad to send out copies of this detailed letter to anyone interested. Source: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Kensington, California. two photos. [October 2000]

Contact: Frank Swartz This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ';document.getElementById('cloaka3fe2754efa538f8b337ab17a557d618').innerHTML += ''+addy_texta3fe2754efa538f8b337ab17a557d618+'<\/a>';

UPDATE: "About 8 thousand are buried in 3 huge ditches in the northern suburb of Lida. Jews from Wilnius, Dyatlovo, Voronovo and other settlements surrounding Lida are buried in the same ditches." Source. [February 2004]

Photo and photo [March 2009]

photo. [February 2010]

photos [Oct 2014]

[UPDATE] Investigation of Execution Site by Yahad-in-Unum [August 2017]