New findings were revealed in a unique archaeological dig being conducted in the Sobibor extermination camp

Among the findings: layers of black ash, remains of burned branches, over 200 objects, including fragments of spectacles, parts of a barbed wire fence, bullet casings and a sharpening stone for knives * The findings are in collaboration with Ben Gurion University and the Sobibor Museum

In an archaeological dig that is currently being conducted at the Sobibor extermination camp in eastern Poland, on behalf of the archeology department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Sobibor Museum in Poland, new findings have been uncovered that may shed new light on what happened there during the Holocaust. The excavation is being conducted with the assistance of Yad Vashem and is being managed by Yoram Chaimi and Vitek Mazork.

About 1942 Jews were murdered in Sobibor in 1943-250,000 by SS soldiers. and their Ukrainian assistants. The Germans destroyed the camp at the end of 1943 and many details related to the plan of the camp, to the way it was operated can now only be clarified through an archaeological dig. The purpose of the excavation is to uncover buildings in Camp 3 - the part of Sobivor where the gas chambers were. This area has been tested in the past, mainly in drilling, by Prof. Andrei Kola from the University of Torun in Poland.

The head of the archeology track at Ben-Gurion University, Prof. Yitzhak Gilad, said that during the first days of the excavation, layers of ash and the level of the area were exposed in two thick bands of black ash with the remains of burnt branches. It is possible that these are fences that bounded the road from Camp 2, where the Jews who were taken to the camp were stripped and their belongings were taken, to Camp 3, where they were murdered. It is known from the testimonies of the survivors that the Germans made sure that in the fences that bordered the road, many branches would be integrated between the barbed wire so that it would not be possible to see what was happening there.

According to Prof. Gilad, so far more than 200 objects have been found in the ash concentrations, including lighters, scissors, parts of metal cigarette cases, fragments of eyeglass frames and perfume bottles. Many metal items were also found including: parts of a wire fence, a door hinge and a bracket and many bullet pouches. Also exposed were many nails and pins belonging to the narrow gauge railway on which wagons were driven from the Sobibor railway platform to the extermination zone in Camp 3. A penknife, a knife and a sharpening stone for knives were also found. These testimonies show that it is possible that the area that has now been excavated is near the place where the hut that was used to cut the women's hair stood, the part that led from this hut to the nearby gas chambers.