According to archival data, in 1940 the Antopol Jewish community numbered about 1,500 people - approximately half of all city residents. With the outbreak of the war, refugees from Poland and other European countries poured into the city, so the Jewish population of Antopol and nearby villages in 1941 was already approximately 2,600 people.

At the end of June 1941, Antopol was occupied by German troops. As in other regions, the Nazis almost immediately began to implement their program to eliminate the Jewish population. At first there were isolated beatings and executions, but then the Germans began to thoroughly exterminate the Jews. The Judenrat was organized, Jews were forced to wear yellow Star of David patches on their clothes. Anyone who did not comply with this requirement could be shot on the spot.

A few days after the occupation, the Germans expelled the Jews from their homes and moved them to houses on one side of Pinskaya Street, creating a ghetto there. All the Jews from the surrounding villages were also brought there.

Fearing resistance, the Nazis exterminated primarily young Jewish men (between the ages of 15 and 50), even though this deprived them of the most productive part of the ghetto prisoners. Threatening with execution, the Jews of the ghetto were ordered to hand over all the currency and gold items in their possession. At the same time, local residents were forced to dig execution ditches in the area of ​​the current village of Pervomaisk. Several trucks arrived in Antopol, where the Jewish men who had been captured before were pushed into them. The prisoners were told that they were being taken to work in another area, but in fact, about 140 Jewish men were shot near the Khvoinik tract.

The remaining ghetto prisoners in April 1942 were moved to ghetto “A” - for Jews with professions needed by the Germans, and ghetto “B” - for the elderly and sick. These two ghettos were surrounded by a common fence made of boards about 2.5 m high, and barbed wire was strung at the top. It was strictly forbidden not only to leave both ghettos, but also to move from one to the other. The crowding in the ghetto was unbearable; on average, 50-60 people lived in one house.

According to archival data, in the summer of 1942, approximately 1,000 prisoners were forcibly taken from the ghetto to Bronna Gora, where they were shot. The final destruction of the Antopol ghetto began on October 15. The action, as the Nazis called the murder of Jews, lasted several days.

At the Pervomaiskoye cemetery near Antopol, according to various sources, from 2,000 to 4,000 people were shot. The exact number of Jews killed remains unknown. The Jews brought to pre-dug holes, they were forced to take off their clothes and lie face down. After that they were shot from machine guns.

According to eyewitnesses, the Nazis tore gold crowns from the mouths of those killed and tore rings from their fingers. For some time, no one buried the pits with the murdered Jews, which is why many of the bodies were torn to pieces by animals and birds.