Morteni file / תיק קהילה

✡️ Mortany: Chronicles of the Lodz Community in the Holocaust

These sources document the history of the Jewish community in the village. Mortany in Lodz County, Latvia. Most of the residents of the settlement were Jewish farmers, and in the 1920s, nine families lived there who maintained a religious life in a local synagogue. The documents review the Political changes in the region, from the Soviet occupation following the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact to the Nazi invasion. With the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, the region was occupied by German ArmyThe documentary ends with the tragedy of Holocaust period, in which all 37 Jews remaining in the village at that time were murdered. The historical information is based on data Museum of the Jewish People and other official testimonies.

The Village of Morteni: Location and Character of the Community

The village Mortany Located in the sub-district Loja (Ludza), formerly called Lucin (Lutzin), in the region Latgale (Latgale) in Latvia (C67-1f, C67-4f). Most of the village's inhabitants were Jews who made a living from working inagriculture (C67-1f). In the 1920s, the following people lived there: 9 Jewish families (C67-3f).

Religious and social life in Mauritania

Due to the lack of a dedicated building, the house of one of the Jewish farmers was used as asynagogue For the community (C67-1f). The information in the printed text indicates that this is the farmer's house Ponarov (Punarev) (C67-3f). Visual documentation from 1936 shows the figures of Sarah-Riva and Isser Ponarov, who were Jewish farmers in the village (C67-3f).

The Village of Nautreni: Demographics and Zionist Activity

The village Nautarani It is another settlement in the district. Loja In the province Latgale (C67-3f). In 1930 they lived in the rural area of ​​the settlement 26 Jews (C67-3f). In the elections forThe Eighteenth Zionist Congress Held in 1933, 11 voters from the town participated, who were distributed as follows: 6 votes forRevisionists, 4 votes forZionist-Socialists And one vote forOverall scores (C67-3f).

The Holocaust and Occupation Period in Latvia

after Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact Signed in August 1939 between Germany and the Soviet Union, entered into The Red Army to Latvia and in the summer of 1940 was led there Soviet rule (C67-1f, C67-4f). On June 22, 1941, with the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union, German Army the area (C67-4f). In Neutraney, one Jew was murdered by the Germans under these circumstances (C67-3f). In Mortany, during the summer of 1941 (or in the second half of that year according to another source), all The 37 Jews found at the site (C67-1f, C67-3f). This information is based, among other things, on the testimony of Shlomo Kameysky (C67-3f).

Geographical and historical terms and concepts

• Latgale: A region of land in eastern Latvia where the villages mentioned in the survey (C67-1f) were located.
• Ludza / Lutzin: A city and county in eastern Latvia (C67-4f).
• Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact: A non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed in 1939 and affecting the fate of the Baltic states (C67-1f).
• 18th Zionist Congress: The 18th Conference of the Supreme Institution of the World Zionist Organization (C67-3f).

List of sources

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• C67-1f – A document in Hebrew about the village of Mortany, describing the life of the Jewish community, the occupation of agriculture, religious life, and the murder of Jews in the Holocaust.
• C67-3f – A historical overview page on the settlements of Neutrani and Mortani, including demographic data, Zionist election results, and a picture of Jewish farmers.
• C67-4f – A document in English from the "Beit Hatfutsot" archives detailing the history of the Mortany settlement, the composition of the Jewish population, and the events of the Holocaust period.

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