Dokshytsy
Dokshytsy is a town in the Vitebsk Region of Belarus with a significant Chassidic history. It is southwest of Vitebsk and a kilometer from the source of the Berezina River. Its population in 2010 was 6,600.History
The town is first mentioned in a document of Grand Duke Vytautas dated 1407 which refers to tributaries called "doxyczahe." Within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Dokshytsy was part of Minsk Voivodeship
In 1793, Dokshitsy was acquired by the Russian Empire as a result of the Second Partition of Poland and incorporated into the Minsk Governorate; in 1795 it was briefly made a city before losing a portion of its territory and reverting to village status two years later. During the War of 1812 it was overrun and destroyed by the French.
In 1897 the population was 2,762 which by 1925 had grown to approximately 3,000 souls.
From 1921 until 1939, Dokshytsy was part of the Second Polish Republic.
On 17 September 1939, Dokshytsy was occupied by the Red Army and, on 14 November 1939, incorporated into the Byelorussian SSR.
From 9 July 1941 until 2 July 1944, Dokshytsy was occupied by Nazi Germany and administered as a part of the Generalbezirk Weißruthenien of Reichskommissariat Ostland. The Germans destroyed the city and set up a military garrison. Jews of the city were gathered in a ghetto on 30 September 1941. On 29 May 1942, 2600 Jews were executed on a site outside the city.
In April 1942, hundreds of young people were sent from the ghetto to a labor camp in Glambukia. During this period an underground organization was established in the ghetto, headed by Joseph Shapira.
On 2 July 1944, Dokshytsy was liberated by the Red Army. The town resumed its status as a part of the Byelorussian SSR. Since 1991, it has belonged to the independent Republic of Belarus.
After World War 2 the Jewish community was never re-established.
