Riga file (3) / תיק קהילה

📜 Riga Municipal Jewish Gymnasium

These sources document the The History and Genealogy of Latvian Jewry, with a special focus on the city Riga Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes Official documents Such as birth certificates, marriage records and passports of figures such as Israel Krasnik and Rivka Rabin, alongside Personal correspondence who wish to trace the roots of families who emigrated from the area. In addition, exhibits Historical maps Detailed city maps and indexes from 1892 that illustrate the demographic and geographical structure of the city. The sources also incorporate Ethnographic illustrations by Johann Christoph Brutze, which present the lifestyle and clothing of the region's inhabitants in the past. Finally, texts in Hebrew and other languages ​​discussJewish Community Life, in the experiences of immigration and the preservation of the historical memory of the Jewry of the Baltic States.

The History of Latvian and Estonian Jewry: A Historical Review Based on Archival Sources

Early Documentation and Jewish Presence in the 18th Century

The earliest visual documentation in sources appears in the work of Johann Christoph Brutz (Johann Christoph Brotze), who collected records and information about the inhabitants of the region in his book "Sammlung verschiedner Lieflandischer Monumente". Brotze documented in 1780 Polish Jews Resistant to reachingRiga for the purposes of trading products such as lemons and linen, and described their overall clothing Black cap and a blue coat with black laces (C118-11f). In his drawings, Jews appear as intermediaries between the merchants and the guards of imported goods, and in 1797 he also documented a Jew in the town Wilka (Viļaka). The sources indicate that in 2006 the volume "Brotze Estonica" dealing with Estonia was published, based on the work of Brotze and his colleagues (C118-11f).

Demographics and urban space in Riga

At the end of the 19th century, according to a map index from 1892, Riga had a population of about 175,000 inhabitants, of whom 14,222 Jews (C118-9-2f). The maps and indexes from 1892 and 1940 list Jewish public institutions, including theMunicipal Jewish Gymnasium At 18 Gertrudes Street (C118-3f, C118-9-8-2f). The urban space included streets with a connection to the community, such as Zirgu (Horse Street) in the Old City, where a Jewish-owned bakery was located (C118-9-6f). A handwritten note attached to one of the photographs indicates that this street was a regular passageway on the way to the bakery of the writer's mother (C118-9-6f).

Cultural life and education

Jewish cultural life in the region was rich and included significant theatrical productions. The sources present a program for the play "Uriel Acosta" (Uriels Akosta) Directed by A. Granowska (A. Granovska), featuring prominent actors such as A. Robina (A. Rovina) andJ. Vershver (I. Varšavers) (C118-2f). The play was performed in Yiddish and Latvian, and dealt with themes of faith and community in 17th-century Amsterdam. In addition, the community operated educational institutions such as the Jewish Gymnasium in Riga, which was symbolized by the Star of David (C118-3f).

Politics, Nationalism, and Anti-Semitism Between the World Wars

The 1930s saw significant political changes in Latvia. After the May 15, 1934 coup led by Karlis Olmanis (K. Ulmanis), documents were published emphasizing the unity of the Latvian people and the contribution of the Jews to the establishment of the state. Organization Jewish frontline fighters The former emphasized the historical connection and the blood shed for Latvian independence (C118-6f). However, other sources from this period (1933) describe an increase inAntisemitism On the part of nationalist movements such as "Ogunscrofts" (Ugunskrusts) and led by figures like Yannis Stallmakras (Jānis Štelmachers). Štelmachers founded the "Latvian National Socialist Union" and published a newspaper that attacked Jews, Freemasons, and Marxists (C118-5f). The printed sources from the period criticize Štelmachers and claim that Jews are not to blame for the economic crises, and note the contribution of Jewish capitalists to Latvian industry and trade (C118-5f).

Microhistory: Families and Migration

The sources provide a glimpse into the life paths of individuals through certificates and passports:

• The Krasniks family: Israelis Krasnik, born in Riga (1913), worked in construction and married Ita To the Kremers family in 1934 (C118-10-1f, C118-10-2f). In 1938 he was issued a Palestinian (Y) passport in which he was registered as an agricultural laborer living inMikvah IsraelIn this passport his wife's name appears. Congratulations Leah (for the Hecht family), information that raises a certain contradiction with the marriage documents from Riga (C118-10-3f).
• The Wulfson family: Wolf-Leif Wolfson, native In Osaka (1867), emigrated to Scotland in the late 1880s (C118-8f).
• Avraham Kelmansky: In 1923 he passed through Riga with his daughters on his way fromZhytomyr To England, for the purpose of obtaining transit visas (C118-8f).

The Holocaust and Soviet rule

The sources refer to the extermination of Latvian Jewry during World War II, with mention of approximately 90,000 victims (C118-1f). Murder and memorial sites such as Rombola (Rumbula) andSalaspils (Salaspils) are described in later reports as the Gileadites of the destroyed community (C118-1f). During the Soviet period, actions of theKGB Against Jews. A 1966 search report details the confiscation of "anti-Soviet nationalist" literature and manuscripts (poems in Russian) from the apartment of Marian Januvelevich Gerber In Riga (C118-7f).

Jewish Renewal in 1990

In December 1990, towards the collapse of the Soviet Union, lively community activity is documented in Riga andTallinnIn Riga, meetings were held at the "Community House" led by figures such as Gregory, where they discussed issues of immigration to Israel, employment, and economic difficulties (C118-1f). The sources indicate feelings of uncertainty about the future, along with isolated expressions of anti-Semitism (C118-1f). In Tallinn, Estonia, a meeting was recorded with a Jewish journalist close to the local government, who helped organize the renewed community (C118-1f).

Terms and concepts from the sources

• Ugunskrusts: "Thunder Cross", an extreme nationalist and anti-Semitic movement in Latvia (C118-5f).
• Žīdi: The Latvian term for Jews; in some sources it is used neutrally/historically and in others it appears in an offensive context (C118-5f, C118-6f).
• Pase: Passport/travel document in Latvian (C118-10-4f).
• National Socialists (Nacionālsociālisti): The name given in sources to movements inspired by German Nazism that operated in Latvia (C118-5f).

List of sources

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• C118-1f – A review of community life in Riga and Tallinn in 1990 and historical documentation of the Holocaust in Latvia
• C118-2f – Program and actor photos from the "Uriel Acosta" theater performance directed by A. Granowska
• C118-3f – Photograph of the emblem and details of the Jewish Municipal Gymnasium in Riga at 18 Gertrudes Street
• C118-5f – A political pamphlet from 1933 criticizing anti-Semitic and National Socialist movements in Latvia
• C118-6f – A document supporting the Olmanis government emphasizing the loyalty of Jews and Jewish fighters to the state
• C118-7f – Protocol of search and confiscation of literature conducted by the KGB in an apartment in Riga in 1966
• C118-8f – Correspondence and genealogical records of the Kalman and Wolfson families regarding their roots in Bauska and Riga
• C118-9-2f – Map and detailed index of streets, hotels and public institutions in Riga from 1892
• C118-9-8-2f – Street guide and plan of government, educational and cultural institutions in Riga from 1940
• C118-9-3f – Topographic military map of the Riga and Osaka area from 1917
• C118-9-4f – Geographical maps and demographic data of the Republic of Latvia and the city of Riga from 1999
• C118-9-5f – Panoramic photo of Riga city center and the Daugava River
• C118-9-6f – A photograph of Zirgu Street in Old Riga with a handwritten note about a family bakery
• C118-9-7f – City map of Riga including neighborhoods and suburbs at a scale of 1:25,000
• C118-9-9f – Detailed map of the Daugava River route and Riga city districts
• C118-10-1f – Birth certificate of Yisraelis Krasnik from Riga from 1913
• C118-10-2f – Marriage registration of Yisraelis Krasnik and Ita Kramers in Riga from 1934
• C118-10-3f – Palestinian passport (Y.A.) of Yizreel Krasnik issued in Jerusalem in 1938
• C118-10-4f – Latvian passport of Zalmans Krasnik from 1928, including personal details and a photo
• C118-10-5f – Latvian passport of Rivka Krasnica from 1928, including personal details and a photo
• C118-10-6f – Front pages of a Latvian passport from 1928, including issuance details and signatures
• C118-10-7f – Latvian passport of Ita Krasnik (née Kramers) from 1934, including a photo
• C118-10-8f – Pages from a Latvian passport from 1928, including issuance details and official signatures
• C118-11f – Ethnographic drawings and descriptions of Jews in Riga and the Baltic region by Johann Christoph Brutze

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