According to the 1939 census, there were more than 29 thousand Jews in Zhytomyr, who made up a third of the local population. With the outbreak of hostilities, some of the Jews were mobilized into the Red Army. About 20 thousand Jews managed to evacuate. At the time of the occupation on July 7, 1941, according to German data, there were about 5 thousand Jews in the city. Modern researchers believe that the number of those who remained could be up to 7 thousand people.

According to the evidence, already on July 11, 1941, the invaders carried out the registration of the Jewish population, but documentary evidence of this has not been preserved. From mid-July 1941, Zhytomyr became the base for the headquarters of Einsatzgroup C.

Already on July 19, 1941, the first extermination aktion took place. The Nazis accused the Jews of arson and shot about a hundred people. German documents contain reports on the extermination of 187 "Russians and Jews" on July 22, 1941, and 180 "Jews and Communists" on July 30, 1941.

On August 7, 1941, the Nazis informed the local population through newspapers that they had hanged two Jews who worked in the punitive bodies of the USSR. They were charged with the murder of 1,350 Germans and Ukrainians. During the retaliation aktion, more than 400 people were also shot. In German documents dated August 9, 1941, these 400 people are called "saboteurs and political functionaries."

Researchers have calculated that in July-August 1941 alone, the invaders killed about 2 thousand people in Zhytomyr.

In August 1941, the Nazis set about creating a ghetto. Three streets were allocated for it: Chudnovskaya, Ostrovskaya and Kafedralnaya. According to German documents dated September 5, 1941, 4.8 thousand Jews lived in the ghetto.

On September 10, 1941, a meeting of the leadership of Einsatzgroup C and the field commandant's office was held at which the complete extermination of the Jewish population of the city was discussed. The aktion was scheduled for September 19, 1941.

At four o'clock in the morning, German troops and local police surrounded the ghetto. The Nazis used 12 trucks to transport the prisoners. According to German reports, 3.1 thousand Jews were killed during the aktion on September 19, 1941.

According to the same German reports, 25-30 tons of things were confiscated from the prisoners, including bed linen, clothes, shoes, etc.

On September 21, 1941, the Nazis conducted a new census, which showed that 340 Jews remained in the city. These were skilled workers who were used by the Nazis until 1942 and then shot.