Arrest and execution of the Jews of Smederevo

Smederevo, on the Danube downstream from the capital, had a small but long-established Jewish community living in the shadow of its fortress. The German occupation of Serbia applied the same measures there as elsewhere: mandatory registration, armband, clearance work — the city had just suffered a catastrophic explosion in its ammunition depot, and Jews were assigned to rubble-clearing details. In the autumn, the order was given to shoot the Jewish men of Serbia in reprisal for partisan attacks. Those of Smederevo were among them. Their families were subsequently interned at the fairground camp near the capital, where they perished the following winter.