Lejasciems file / תיק קהילה

📜 History of the Jewish Community in Liaschims, Latvia

These sources document the history and demographics of the town. Liaszheims in Latvia, with a special focus on the history of The Jewish community The documents include comprehensive statistics from 1935 detailing the The economic structureThe materials show that a small Jewish community established itself there. Synagogue and cemetery in the mid-19th century, but its members left the town shortly after. In the period between the world wars, the settlement was inhabited by Only one Jew, while external factors attempted to preserve the remnants of religious institutions that were left behind. This collection combines Government records Latvians and historical documentation of the Jewish diaspora to paint a picture of town life over the years.

The settlement Liaszheims (In Latvian: Lejasciems, in German: Neuhof), also referred to in the handwritten note as "Aahof", located in the sub-district Valka (Valka) in the region Vidzeme (Vidzeme(On the bank of the river)Gauja (Gauja) and the riverTeresa (Tirzah(C62-1f, C62-3f). Between 1920 and 1940 the village belonged toIndependent Latvia, and in 1939 the Latvian authorities abolished its status as an independent settlement (C62-1f, C62-3f). According to a source citing statistical data from 1935, the settlement had 466 inhabitants at that time, with the ethnic breakdown including 459 Latvians, 2 Russians, 1 Estonian, One Jew (0.21% of the population) and 3 other nationalities (C62-2f, C62-3f).

The beginning of the organized Jewish community in the place dates back to 1867, then established inLiaszheim Jewish Community which established synagogue andcemetery (C62-1f, C62-4f). However, after only a few years, the Jews abandoned the settlement, and by 1881 there were no Jews at all (C62-1f, C62-3f, C62-4f). In the period between the two world wars, the settlement was inhabited by Only one Jew, but despite the lack of an active community, until World War II various Jewish circles tried to improve and care for the remains Synagogue andThe cemetery which were abandoned on site (C62-1f, C62-3f, C62-4f).

The administrative structure of the settlement in the 1930s included various institutions and officials: the city administration was headed by Oskars Dambrovs, and alongside him the members of the management Antons Uiska and-Janis Talbergis, and the city secretary Felikss Drukteins (C62-2f). In the economic field, the city's budget for 1935 was 13,689 lats (Ls), with most of the income coming from taxes and immovable property (C62-2f). The settlement had educational institutions such as an elementary school run by Peter Namatevs, a municipal library, as well as health institutions that included a pharmacy run by Ādolfs Francis And a regional doctor named Karlis Vilks (C62-2f). Social and religious life in the city included an Evangelical Lutheran church headed by the pastor Ernests Putniņš and several associations, including the Homeowners Association and the Volunteer Firefighters Association (C62-2f).

Geographical and administrative terms

• Vidzeme: One of the four historical cordilleras of Latvia, located in the north-central part of the country.
• Valka: A district (county) in northern Latvia, near the border with Estonia.
• Gauja: One of the main rivers in Latvia, along which the settlement of Līaszēms is located.
• Aahof: A German name that appears in handwriting on the document for the settlement of Leaszheim.
• Lat (Lat/Ls): The official currency of Latvia during its first period of independence (1922–1940).

List of sources

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• C62-1f – A Hebrew overview of the settlement of Neuhof, including geographical information and a historical description of the Jewish community and its institutions established in 1867.
• C62-2f – A chapter from a statistical book in Latvian (1936) containing demographic, administrative and economic data on the settlement, a list of officials and an urban map.
• C62-3f – A Hebrew information sheet on the history of Liasheims, including a handwritten note (Aahof), census data from 1935, and a review of the community's situation between the world wars.
• C62-4f – A document in English from the Beit Hatfutsot Museum that reviews the history of Jewish settlement in Liasems, the establishment of the synagogue and cemetery, and the attempts to preserve them.

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