Daugavpils file (4) / תיק קהילה

🎞️Pioneer Portrait: Latvian and Estonian Emigrants Association 1926

Sources on display includeGenealogical and historical documentationA branch that focuses on key figures and Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, with an emphasis on the city.DvinskAmong the documents you can find:family treeof the Miofis family and personal photographs, alongsideDetailed biographiesof rabbis and spiritual leaders such as Rabbi David Budinick and Rabbi Israel Alter Safran-Fox. The information reviews their Torah work, their roles in community leadership, and their efforts to preserve ancient manuscripts during periods of political upheaval. Additionally, included areOfficial documentsSuch as a report card from a Jewish school in Latvia and newspaper clippings about writers and intellectuals. A significant part of the texts is devoted to describingThe fate of the community and its leadership during the Holocaust, while commemorating the memory of those who perished. This review constitutesHistorical mosaic Combining private biographies with the religious and cultural heritage of Latvian and Lithuanian Jewry.

The findings of the historical review, based on the sources found in the archivesAssociation of Latvian and Estonian Immigrants in Israel, focusing almost exclusively on the history of the Jewish community inLatvia, and especially in the cityDvinsk(Daugavpils). The sources do not provide detailed information on the history of Estonian Jewry per se, except for the fact of the existence of the common union of the two states (C34-11f, C34-12f).

The following is an in-depth review of the life of the community, its individuals, and its fate as reflected in the documents:

Demographics and religious institutions in Dvinsk (Dvinsk)

Before World War II, every fourth resident inDvinskThere were Jews (about 11,000 people), and they operated in the city.40 synagogues(C34-11f). Among the most prominent synagogues was the Synagogue"Kaddish"Built in1850at 38 Cietokšņa Street, which, according to legend, was built with the money of a believing Jew in memory of his deceased brother (C34-11f). In the years after the Holocaust, starting in1946, a group of Jews appealed to the authorities to allocate a place for prayer, and in1947The synagogue reopened"Kaddish"Under the leadership ofA. Stein(C34-11f). In the 1950s and 1960s, over 600 people attended prayers on holidays, and religious life was led by figures such as the RabbiBaruch Gesilevich EliashbergAnd the collectorMoishe Pitam(C34-11f).

Prominent spiritual and intellectual figures

The community inDvinskIt was a significant Torah and Gothic center:

• Rabbi Yosef Rozin (the Rogachovy Gaon): Served as rabbi for the Sephardic community inDvinskand is considered one of the greatest of his generation due to his immense knowledge (C34-3f, C34-31f, C34-4f). He was born in1948Approximately (C34-4f).
• Rabbi Israel Alter Safran-Fox: The distinguished disciple of theRogačový, who was born in1911(C34-31f, C34-32f). He dedicated his life to organizing and saving his master's manuscripts, and had them photographed in the United States on the eve of the Holocaust (C34-35f, C34-36f). He was murdered in June1942Together with his family (C34-37f).
• Rabbi David Budnik: From the leaders of the movementNovodok, established meetings inLatviaIn citiesDvinsk,Razkane(Rezekne) andLodz(Ludza) (C34-2f). He died inTammuz 5751During the deportation to Siberia (C34-30f).
• Rabbi Benjamin Yochanan Cohen: Served as rabbi inDvinskand was active inCouncil of Eldersof the ghetto (C34-1f, C34-23f). He was murdered on Saturday,On Yom Kippur, while he calls out "Shema Israel" (C34-24f).
• Aaron Steinberg: Native philosopher and writerDvinsk(1891), served as political secretary of theWorld Jewish Congressand wrote numerous works in the fields of philosophy and history (C34-13-1f, C34-14f).
• Mark Rothko: The famous artist was born inDvinskIn the year1903In the name ofMarcus RutkowitzTo the Rokach family (C34-11f). His family immigrated to the United States in1913(C34-11f).

Education and enlightenment

BDvinskVarious Jewish educational institutions operated:

• Jewish Gymnasium (Daugavpils žīdu vidusskolas): A grade report card from the 1920s indicates studies of languages ​​(Latvian, Hebrew, Russian, German, Latin), mathematics, Jewish and general history (C34-17f).
• Jewish Vocational School (Daugavpils žīdu arodu skolas): Trained students in subjects such as mechanics (C34-18f).June 21, 1939A certificate of completion was awarded to the student.Benjamin Freinkel (Freinkels Benjamins) (C34-19f).
• Handwriting-based note: In a student's notebookB. Drobis(B. Drobis) fromDvinsk, word lists appear in Russian, Latin, Latvian, and Hebrew, alongside algebra and geometry exercises (C34-9f, C34-66f, C34-68f).

The Holocaust and Destruction Period

The Nazi occupation began inDvinskInJune 29, 1941(C34-23f). Within a short time, an order was issued requiring all Jews to report to the market square, from where some were taken to prison and some were murdered inStrofi Forest(Stropia) (C34-23f). InJuly 20, 1941(The information in the source is vague regarding the exact date, it is stated "three days later" from a previous decree) TheghettoIn the old fort across the river (C34-23f). In June1942The community was almost completely wiped out in mass murders (C34-37f). Among the murdered are many intellectuals, rabbis, and students (C34-15f, C34-37f).

Restoration and commemoration (21st century)

In-April 11, 2006A festive ceremony was held for the reopening of the synagogue"Kaddish"The restored one, in the presence of the President of Latvia (C34-11f). The restoration was made possible thanks to the donation of the artist's familyMark Rothko(his daughter Kate and son Christopher) and assistance from the United States government (C34-11f, C34-15f). The memorial plaque in the synagogue states in four languages ​​that the building was restored on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth ofMark Rothko(C34-15f).

Unique terms and concepts

Below are explanations of terms that appear in foreign language sources or in community usage:

• Gabad: Acronym for "Gaon Av Beit Din", a title for the city's chief rabbi.
• Novardok: A movement in the Jewish moral movement that emphasized the lowliness of the spirit and extreme moral work.
• Real Gymnasium (realgimnazijas): A type of high school that emphasizes the study of science and modern languages ​​over classical studies.
• lost: Chief Justice.
• Council of Elders (Aeltestenrat): A Jewish administrative body established by Nazi order to manage ghetto life.

List of sources

• C34-1fChapters from the book: These are a memorial to the figure and work of Rabbi Binyamin Yochanan Cohen
• C34-10f: Letter and handwritten notes on the subject of the Dragogi family and Yochasin of Dvinsk
• C34-11f: An article in Russian about the life of the artist Mark Rothko and the restoration of the Kaddish synagogue in Dvinsk
• C34-12f: Family tree of the Miofis family and photographs of Vladimir and Father Miofis from Dvinsk
• C34-13-1f: An article from the newspaper Maariv (1980) about the experiences of Aharon Steinberg and Dvinsk Jewry
• C34-13-2f: Printed document (proclamation) in Hebrew from 1894
• C34-13-3f: A 1946 Yiddish document dealing with the situation of the Jewish community in Dvinsk after the war
• C34-14f: A detailed bio-bibliographic entry on the life and writings of the philosopher Aharon Steinberg
• C34-15f: List of names of members of the Jewish community in Dvinsk and Lodz
• C34-16f: Group photograph of students in Dvinsk from 1926
• C34-17f: Certificate of grades from the gymnasium in Dvinsk for Laser Drobis from 1929
• C34-18f: Graduation certificate from a vocational school in Dvinsk for Benjamin Freinkel from 1939
• C34-2f: A comprehensive biographical review of Rabbi David Budnik and Rabbi Israel Alter Safran-Fox from Ella Azkare
• C34-3f: Title and entries from the book Ehle Shem, dealing with the rabbis of the city of Dvinsk
• C34-4f: Pages from the book Dor Rabbinim ve Sofer (Warsaw 1905) which includes biographies of the rabbis of Dvinsk
• C34-5f: An entry from a Yiddish lexicon dealing with the life history of Shlomo Belstein
• C34-6F: Biographical entries from a lexicon about personalities from Dvinsk, including Yitzhak Walk and Moshe Herzbach
• C34-7-1f: An excerpt from the book Knesset Israel, which deals with Rabbi Reuven Weller of Dvinsk
• C34-7-2f: A historical review of the rabbis of Dvinsk from the book Knesset Israel from 1887
• C34-7-3f: Description of the activities of the Tzafira newspaper and the work of public figures in the 19th century
• C34-8f: The history of the life and public work of Avraham Zalman Ichilov, born in Dvinsk
• C34-9f: Original student notebook by B. Drobis, including math exercises, language notes, and geography

C34-1f

C34-10f

C34-11f

C34-12f

C34-13-1f

C34-13-1f

C34-13-1f

C34-13-1+2f

C34-13-1-03+04f

C34-13-2f

C34-13-3f

C34-14f

C34-15f

C34-16f

C34-17f

C34-18f

C34-2f

C34-3f

C34-4f

C34-5f

C34-6F

C34-7-1f

C34-7-2f

C34-7-3f

C34-8f

C34-9f

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