(1) Ludza file / תיק קהילה

📜 Lodz: Memory and Pain of a Lost Community

These sources document the History of the Jewish community in the city of Lodz in Latvia throughout various periods. The documents include Detailed lists of resident names, their addresses and professional occupations, alongside Legal protocols from 1885 dealing with the investigation of a murder case of a female employee in a Jewish home. In addition, the sources contain Historical articles which survey the cultural life, education, and religious institutions of the community before its destruction. Later testimonies describe the The fate of the Jews during the Holocaust, including the establishment of the local ghetto and police operations under the Nazi occupation. Prominent in these materials is the reference toLocal identity And to the rich fabric of life that characterized the community before the war.

History of the Jewish Community of Lucin (Lodz)

The beginnings of the community and its development as the "Jerusalem of Latvia"

The city Lucin (currently Lodz) is mentioned in historical records as early as 1171, and developed over the years as a significant Jewish spiritual center that earned the nickname "The Jerusalem of Latvia" (C134-9f, C134-2-2f). The Jewish community there was proud of a lineage of rabbis from the family Zionist (Don-Yikhye) who led the community for over 150 years (C134-11-11f, C134-9f). At the end of the 18th century, in 1784, 27 Jewish merchants were registered in Lucin, and in 1815 the Jewish population numbered 1,176 (C134-9f). By the beginning of the 20th century, Lucin had become a center of Torah and Kabbalah scholarship, attracting young people from all over Latvia and Estonia to study in its yeshivahs (C134-9f). In the city's synagogues, including "The Green Knesset", built in 1827, and the synagogue, built in 1804 and known for its magnificent "Holy Ark," were the centers of religious life (C134-11-5f).

"The Lucin Affair" – The Murder Trial (1884-1885)

One of the most documented events in the archive is a murder trial that stirred the community in the 1880s, known as the "The Lucin Affair" (C134-1f). The main defendants in the case were the merchant Simmel Lutzov, his wife Astra Lutsova, and Shmuel Gurevich andHow is Musya?, who were accused of murdering the Christian maid Maria Dritch (C134-1f). According to the indictment, the motive for the murder was their attempt to prevent the couple's son, Mihal (Yankel) Lutsov, from converting to Christianity in order to marry the maid (C134-1f). Dritch's body was found in the river Filda with signs of strangulation and stones tied to her body (C134-1f). Throughout the court hearings inVitebskThe defendants denied the charges against them, while eyewitnesses, such as Elena Ivanova andMatrena Sinitsina, testified to a gathering of Jews at the Lutzow house on the night of her disappearance and to bloodstains found on clothing (C134-1f). In handwritten notes on later business lists, the name of Sora Schneier As someone who sold hats on the street In Beznikas 32, but there is no direct connection in the text between it and the legal case (C134-13-1f).

Educational, cultural and political life between the wars

During the period of Latvian independence (1918-1940), the community enjoyed broad cultural autonomy. Jewish schools operated in the city, including theJewish Municipal Gymnasium And the elementary school "Yiddish Primary School" (Zidu pamatskola) (C134-11-5f, C134-8f). The Hebrew language occupied a central place in education, and among the prominent teachers were Moshe Ginzburg, Avraham-Bar Gamze andHello Majdanek (C134-11-5f, C134-8f). Political life was vibrant and included youth movements such as "The Young Guard", "Betar"And"The pioneer" (C134-11-5f, C134-12f). In the 1928 city council elections, out of 20 deputies, 8 were Jews representing different parties from"Bond"Until theZionist-Revisionists (C134-11-5f). The community also maintained a rich cultural life, including a theater studio run by Berl Gurevich Who staged plays at the "People's House" (C134-11-5f).

The Great Fire of 1938 and the Soviet Occupation

On June 12, 1938, a riot broke out in the city. Big fire which consumed most of the city center, including 212 houses and 17 workshops, the vast majority (95%) of which were Jewish-owned (C134-11-4f). The fire left many families, including the photographer's family, homeless. Hertz Frank, without shelter or means of subsistence (C134-5f, C134-11-4f). In June 1940, with the entry of The Red Army For Latvia, drastic changes took place: Jewish autonomy was abolished, Hebrew educational institutions were closed, and political and economic activists were arrested by theNKVD (C134-11-7f, C134-9f). Among those arrested in June 1941 were Yitzhak Bar Gamza andZalman Sawyer, who were sent to camps in Russia (C134-9f).

The Holocaust: The Ghetto and the Extermination (1941-1942)

With the Nazi occupation in July 1941, murders and looting of the city's Jews began. Established ghetto Small among the streets To the Tagalogs, Kostelnoy andVentspils, where about 800 to 900 Jews were concentrated in difficult crowded conditions (C134-11-9f, C134-11-10f). Deputy Ghetto Commander, Pavel Kovalevsky, testified during his interrogation that the Jews were forced to wear the yellow badge and perform degrading forced labor (C134-11-10f, C134-11-11f). The mass extermination took place in stages: In August 1941, about 800 Jews were murdered near Lake Zirma (C134-11-11f). Among the murderers were local police officers and volunteers ("Eissargi"), among which the names were mentioned Victor Ladosan andJanis Rekstins (C134-11-11f, C134-9f). A particularly tragic testimony came from the survivor Vitaly Aglitis, who described how his Jewish wife and three-year-old son were murdered in the forest Grabrovo Only because of their origin (C134-11-12f). After the war, a few survivors returned to the city, but the magnificent community was never rebuilt (C134-9f).

Concepts and terms for clarification

• Aizsargi: A Latvian militia/national guard organization whose members participated in policing operations and the murder of Jews under the Nazi occupation.
• Zidu Elementary School: Jewish elementary school (in Yiddish or Hebrew).
• Saeim: Latvian Parliament.
• For Latgale: A district in eastern Latvia where the city of Lucin/Lodze is located.
• Lutsyn: The historical name of the city of Lodz as it appears in most sources.
• Fabrika: Factory (sources mention the rope factory as a murder site).

List of sources

To view the document, click on its number.

• C134-1f – Stenographic report and legal documents on the 1885 Lucin murder trial
• C134-2-1f – Memories of prominent figures in the community after World War II
• C134-2-2f – Continued personal memories and details about ancient synagogues in the city
• C134-2-3f – Description of Zionist activity in Lodz and the economic situation during the period of independence
• C134-2-4f – Documentation of the damage caused by the 1938 fire and the community's mobilization for mutual aid
• C134-2-5f – Information about religious and secular schools and Jewish parties in the city council
• C134-2-6f – Memories of the entry of Soviet tanks into Lodz in June 1940
• C134-2-7f – Description of the deportations to Siberia and the events of Ligo Night before the outbreak of war
• C134-2-8f – Testimony about the establishment of the local administration under the occupation and the murder of prisoners in the police building
• C134-2-9f – Protocols on the extermination of the Jews of Lodz and the harsh living conditions in the ghetto
• C134-2-10f – Testimony about the theft of Jewish property and summonses by the NKVD for interrogation
• C134-2-11f – Details of mass murders and Semitic lists of Holocaust victims
• C134-2-12f – End of the article on Lodza and discussion of the development of the Hebrew language
• C134-3-1f – Reflections on the preservation of Jewish memory in Lodz and stories about previous generations
• C134-3-5f – Analysis of the Jewish political map in Lodz between the two world wars
• C134-3-6f – Description of political demonstrations and arrests at the beginning of the Soviet regime
• C134-3-8f – Testimony about the fate of the refugees from Lithuania who arrived in Lodz and were murdered
• C134-3-9f – Protocols of interrogation of collaborators about the organization of the ghetto and the distribution of food
• C134-3-10f – Testimonies of looting of Jewish homes after evacuations to the ghetto
• C134-3-11f – Detailed testimony about the massacre in August 1941 and the atrocities of the collaborators
• C134-3-12f – Final chapter of Aron Schneier's research on the history of the community
• C134-4-1f – An article on the revival of Jewish and Zionist culture in Riga in the 1970s
• C134-4-2f – Continued description of Jewish underground activity in Soviet Latvia
• C134-5f – A comprehensive interview with Herz Frank about his childhood in Lodz and his film career
• C134-6f – Report on a memorial ceremony for the victims of Lodz and legislative initiatives in the Latvian Parliament
• C134-7f – Coverage of the Lodz Theater Festival and communion ceremonies with Holocaust victims
• C134-8f – Research on the history of the Hebrew Gymnasium and Jewish education in Lodz
• C134-9f – A comprehensive historical overview of Lodz Jewry from the Middle Ages until its destruction
• C134-11-1f – Personal memories of Jewish life in Lodz and family background
• C134-11-4f – Description of the Great Fire of 1938 and its impact on the community
• C134-11-5f – A review of educational institutions, youth movements and cultural life in Lodz
• C134-11-6f – The events of June 1940 and the establishment of the Workers' Guard under Soviet rule
• C134-11-7f – Closure of Jewish organizations and deportation of political activists to Russia in June 1941
• C134-11-8f – The Nazis enter the city and begin the murders of Jews and refugees
• C134-11-9f – Pawel Kowalewski's investigation into the process of concentration of Jews in the ghetto
• C134-11-10f – An article by Aron Schneier on the looting of Jewish property in Lodz and the establishment of the ghetto
• C134-11-11f – Description of the massacre at Lake Tsirma and information about the Don-Yahia rabbinical family
• C134-11-12f – Protocol of Vitaly Aglitis' testimony about the murder of his wife and son in the Holocaust
• C134-12f – Photographs of school students and youth movements in Betar and the Young Homer
• C134-13-1f – A detailed list of businesses and residential addresses of Jews in Lodz
• C134-13-2f – Alphabetical list of Jewish business owners and their professional occupations

The selected document/source will be displayed here.

⬅ Back to the list of documents