Riebeni file / תיק קהילה

📜 Testimony of Nechama Rosenblum-Schwartz about the Rybinishki community

The sources presented provide Historical and genealogical documentation Surrounding the town Rivne in Latvia, focusing on the life and fate of the Jewish community. The documents include Demographic data From the late 18th century to the mid-20th century, alongside descriptions of Religious and educational institutions who worked there. A significant portion of the material is devoted to During the Holocaust, which contains Semitic lists of victims, testimonies about the massacres in the Aizpura forest, and details about the construction of the monument in their memory. In addition, the sources suggest Comparing archives various organizations, such as Yad Vashem and the Soviet Committee, with the aim of cross-referencing information on survivors and victims. This review incorporates Academic research, statistical lists, and personal memories which commemorate the Jewish heritage that was lost in the region.

According to the sources, the name Rybinishki (Rybinishki) is the name used by the Jews for the town Ravenna (Riebiņi or Riebini), also known as the Russian Silajani (C109-1f, C109-3f, C109-5f). This is an old Jewish community in Latvia, which was located in the district To Tagala (Latgale) in the district Roscena (Rēzekne) (C109-1f, C109-5f).

The identity and location of the community

The Jewish settlement in Rybni (Rybinishki) began in the early 19th century, when several dozen Jews settled there (C109-1f, C109-5f). According to information fromHandwritten note, it is noted that the town is located about 7 kilometers from the city Frailey (Preili) (C109-9f). At the end of the 19th century (1897), the community consisted of 533 Jews, who constituted about 91% of the total local population (C109-1f, C109-3f). Over the years, their number decreased, and in 1935, 317 Jews lived in the town, who constituted about 68% of the population (C109-1f, C109-4f).

Religious institutions and spiritual leadership

Religious life in the town centered around two synagogues: "That old school girl" (the old synagogue), where the "Door of the People" mainly prayed, and"That's enough, Shul." (New Synagogue), which was intended for more affluent and privileged people (C109-11f, C109-5f). The first rabbi of the community was Rabbi Zeev Wolf Zionist, who began serving as a priest in 1843 (C109-1f, C109-5f). In 1903 he was appointed as the town's rabbi. Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, son of the rabbi Raphael Shapira of Volozhin; in the printed text of the book "Tent there" It is stated that Rabbi Shapira was born in 1873 and learned Torah from his father (C109-6f, C109-5f). The last rabbi of the community was Rabbi Eliezer Ze'ev Sheetz (Schutz/Shitz), who perished in the Holocaust (C109-1f, C109-5f).

Economy, Society and Education

Most of the Jewish residents of Rybinsk earned their living from petty trade, village peddling, and crafts (C109-1f, C109-5f). The lands in the town belonged to the owners of the estate (Karpedo and later Karbedzo), and the Jews paid them arrears (C109-3f, C109-5f). In the field of education, it was established in 1921 Jewish elementary school where they studied Yiddish and Hebrew (C109-1f, C109-5f). Extensive public activity took place around the movement "Youth of Zion", which was the only Zionist party in the town (C109-1f, C109-5f). Handwritten testimonies indicate that a "Youth of Zion" club also operated in the town and that there was an underground communist youth group (C109-11f). Among the people associated with the place are mentioned the author's parents. Israel Ginger, who emigrated from the town to London (C109-3f, C109-5f).

The destruction of the community in the Holocaust

With the German invasion in July 1941, harassment began from local collaborators, mainly from the organization"Izasargi" (Aizsargi) (C109-3f, C109-5f). At the end of August 1941 (between the 23rd and 26th of the month), the local police gathered the town's Jews inside the synagogue (C109-3f, C109-12f). From there, the victims, estimated to number between 200 and 300, were taken to the forest. Aesop (Aizupe) nearby, where they were murdered in firing pits (C109-1f, C109-3f, C109-5f). A list compiled by survivors includes the names of 274 victims (C109-3f, C109-4f). Handwritten documents detail the surnames of the murdered and survivors, including families Antocol, Ginger, Abramson andBykovsky (C109-8f, C109-9f). In 1944, the Germans opened the pits and burned the bodies in an attempt to eliminate evidence of the murder (C109-1f, C109-12f).

Unique terms from the sources

• Aizsargi: The Latvian "National Guard" organization, whose members were active in the murder of Jews and the looting of their property under the Nazi occupation.
• Gemilluth Hesed: An interest-free community loan fund supported by the Joint and assisted Jews in financial distress.
• Zion Youth: A political movement combining Zionism and socialism, which led the cultural life and Zionist activity in the town.
• Latgale: The district in eastern Latvia where the town of Rybinsk was located.

List of sources

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• C109-1f – A comprehensive historical overview in Hebrew of the Rybni (Rybinishki) community from the beginning of the 19th century until the liberation of the region from Nazi occupation.
• c109-2f – Pages from the Latvian statistical guide "Latvijas ciemi" detailing data on residents, landowners, and business owners in Raibni in 1935.
• C109-3f – A chapter from the Community Register that includes statistical data on the Jewish population and an overview of community life, the economy, and the Holocaust.
• C109-4f – A historical summary in English about the Rybinishki (Rybni) community, including demographic data and a chronological description of the Holocaust period.
• C109-5f – An extended article in English from the magazine Latvia SIG that reviews the history of Reivni, the local rabbis, education, and the destruction of the community.
• C109-6f – Photocopied pages from the book "Aholei Shem" detailing the life and work of Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, who served in Rebnei.
• C109-7f – Handwritten lists of Jewish victims and references to trials held against Latvian war criminals who operated in the Raivni area.
• C109-8f – Pages containing detailed handwritten lists in Yiddish and Hebrew of Jewish families from the town of Rybinishki and the number of people in each family.
• C109-9f – Handwritten Semitic notes and lists that include details about survivors, victims, and genealogical information about prominent families in the town such as Antokol and Zangwil.
• C109-10f – Email correspondence from Marion Varela regarding the examination of lists of victims and survivors from the Soviet archives and the Yad Vashem database for the Jews of Reivny.
• C109-11f – The printed testimony of Nechama Rosenblum-Schwartz describing the life of the community in Rybinishki, the institutions, the youth movements, and the extermination process.

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