Tirza file / תיק קהילה

These sources document the Jewish history of the settlement. Teresa (known in Jewish sources as Tirzik) located in the Courland region ofLatviaThe documents indicate the existence of Synagogue and cemetery With tombstones dating from 1821, alongside a community register that was opened in 1859. There are different versions regarding the nature of the settlement, with one claiming that the community was established in 1815 and later disbanded. On the other hand, the historian Levi Ovchinsky Argues that there was no institutionalized community in Tirzah at all, and that religious institutions served mainly Jewish merchants who moved to the area but were forbidden to settle there permanently. By the end of the 19th century, only Single Jewish families, and the documentation summarizes the evolution of the place under various governments.

Geographical and historical background of the settlement of Tirzah

The settlement Teresa (Tirzah), known in Jewish sources as Terzik (Tarzik), located in the region Kurzema (Kurzeme), also known by its historical name Courland (Kurland), in the southeastern region Latvia (C55-1f). During the years 1920–1940 the settlement was part ofIndependent Latvia, and at other times it was included in the territories of the Soviet Union (C55-4f).

Community institutions and the beginning of Jewish settlement

Physical remains of a Jewish presence were documented at the site, including: synagogue andcemetery Jewish cemetery, including tombstones, the oldest of which date back to 1821 (C55-1f). According to one of the historical versions appearing in the text, these institutions were already in existence when the Jewish community was officially organized in the area in 1815, a community that later disbanded (C55-3f). A systematic record of the community inCommunity register Began in 1859 (C55-4f).

Historiographical controversy over the existence of the community

There is uncertainty regarding the definition of the settlement as a permanent and institutionalized Jewish community; the rabbi and the historian Levi Ovchinsky (Levi Ovchinski) claimed that in fact there was no Jewish community in Tirzah at all (C55-1f). He claimed, Synagogue andThe cemetery In the settlement, they are intended to serve theJewish merchants who moved there, since at that time Jews were not allowed to settle permanently in the area Duchy of Courland (C55-3f).

Demographics and legal status in the late 19th century

The legal restrictions on Jewish residence in the area were reflected in the limited number of residents, with only three or four Jewish families living in Tirzah in 1899 (C55-1f). The sources explicitly state that the families who did live there were considered to be those who were not allowed to settle in the estates. Duchy of Courland (C55-4f).

Holocaust period

The information in the attached sources does not contain details, dates, or events concerning the fate of the community or the region's Jewry during the period. The Holocaust.

Explanation of historical terms

• Kurzeme / Kurland: A historical region in southern and western Latvia, which was formerly an independent duchy.
• Community register: An official register book in which the Jewish community managed its affairs, births, deaths, and administrative decisions.
• Duchy of Courland: A historical political entity in which various restrictions applied to Jewish settlement.

List of sources

To view the document, click on its number.