Vainode file / תיק קהילה

📜 Testimony of the Wayanad Community: Memory, Destruction, and Continuity

These sources document the history of the Jewish community in the town. Waynoda in Latvia, from its beginnings in the late 19th century until its destruction in the Holocaust. The documents include Statistical data on the composition of the population, lists of property owners, and reviews of local religious, educational, and economic life. It is evident that the Jews in the town were mainly engaged in In trade and craft, and established community institutions such as a synagogue and a public school while maintaining a traditional lifestyle. Testimonies and historical reports describe the activity Zionism and politics In place, alongside normal relations with the Latvian neighbors. The documentary ends with the tragedy of 1941, when the area was occupied by the Germans and all the local Jews were murdered. In a nearby forest.

The history of the settlement and its geographical location

The settlement And indigo (Vainode; in German: Wainoden) is located in the sub-district Liepaja (former Libau), in the region Courland (Kurzeme) in the southwest Latvia (C48-1f, C48-8f). The settlement began in 1892, when a railway station was established on the railway line Riga-Libau, and a brick factory and a sawmill for wood processing were built in the vicinity (C48-3f, C48-10). Between 1920 and 1940, the settlement was part of independent Latvia, and during this period it served as a resort town for the Jews of Liepaja and the surrounding area (C48-1f, C48-8f). The printed text indicates that the settlement developed as a commercial and artistic center, with 232 inhabited houses in 1935 (C48-3f).

Demographics and community structure

Until World War I it was considered And indigo A small Jewish settlement, but after the opening of the railroad the number of Jews in the place increased (C48-3f). According to statistical data appearing in a summary table, in 1920 there were 35 Jews living in the place (6% of the population), and in 1925 their number increased to 70 (C48-3f). In 1930 there were 120 Jews in the place, and in 1935 their number reached 125 out of a total population of 1,416 residents (C48-3f, C48-1f). The sources indicate that the Jewish community was largely traditional, and established for itself House of Prayer Small and elementary school (C48-1f). In the community they served multi andslaughterer, and donations were occasionally made for charitable purposes (C48-8f).

Economic and commercial life

The livelihood of the Jews of the settlement was based mainly on trade, and all Jewish-owned shops were closed on Sabbaths (C48-1f, C48-8f). The printed text of the 1936 Latvian Rural Survey contains a detailed list of business owners and property owners, including names such as Isaac Bornstein, Zalman Kragest, Nathan Killa, Mendel Geitz andYankel Bobs (C48-3f, C48-5f, C48-6f). The Jews were also involved in the lumber trade, and some owned stores selling food, haberdashery, footwear, and books (C48-10, C48-5f, C48-6f). Also, And indigo It was known for a convalescent home and a hospital for lung patients (sanatorium) that existed in the area, and served many Jews who came to the area during the summer months (C48-10).

Public, political and Zionist activity

Although sources indicate that there was no organized Zionist activity within the settlement, members of the community contributed toIsrael National Fund AndThe Foundation (C48-1f, C48-8f). Information from a footnote or handwritten note on one of the documents states "including the above" in connection with the population figures (C48-3f). In 1926 a Jewish representative was elected to the local council, and in 1933 24 residents of the place participated in the elections forZionist CongressThe votes were divided between the "Socialist Zionist List" (which won the majority), the "Zionist Party" and the "Mizrahi" list (C48-3f, C48-1f). In the late 1930s, the influence of movements increased "Agudat Israel", "Girls of the Association" and **"Batia"**, who received assistance from the center in Riga (C48-3f). Among the prominent figures in the community is mentioned Ephraim Epshtik, who was one of the first members of the community to immigrate to the Land of Israel (C48-10).

Education and culture

In 1930, it was established in the settlement Jewish school A small school with one teacher (C48-3f). A Yiddish newspaper article from July 31, 1930 reports on the founding of the school and the efforts to obtain a suitable building for it (C48-11). Due to the small number of students, the institution was not eligible for full government support, and was maintained with the community's own funding and donations (C48-3f). Handwritten testimony indicates that the Jewish students also attended the general public school, where good relations prevailed with the local students, and they were even allowed to be absent from school on Saturdays (C48-10).

Holocaust period

In the summer of 1940, Latvia became a Soviet republic following Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact (C48-1f, C48-9f). With the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, the area was occupied by the German army a few days later (C48-1f, C48-9f). According to the sources, None of the local Jews remained alive. (C48-1f, C48-10).

There are various testimonies and opinions regarding the exact fate of the Jews:

• One source states that According to SabraThe Jews were taken to the forest near the place and murdered there (C48-1f, C48-9f).
• In the testimony of Leah King-Glickman andZvi Burgin From April 25, 1974, it was reported that it was learned of the existence of Concentration camp for Jews in Skrunda (Skrunda), where Jews from the region were brought (C48-10).
• The same testimony mentions a letter received from a local schoolgirl, according to which there were no Jews left in Skrunda because the Germans "took them in an unknown direction" (C48-10). The information in this source regarding the final deportation destination remains unclear, but it is noted that their traces have disappeared (C48-10).
• The testimony mentions that additional Jews from the area perished in the late summer of 1941 under the Nazi occupation (C48-3f). The image of Yitzhak Yanai And his friends are mentioned in this context, as those whose story appears in the book "Chronicles of a Movement" (C48-10).

Terms and concepts from the sources

• Courland (Kurland / Kurzeme): A historical region in southwestern Latvia where the settlement of Vynoda was located.
• Libau / Liepaja: A major port city in Latvia; and Indus was under the jurisdiction of its district.
• Ritual Slaughterer: A person authorized to slaughter animals kosher, who was present in the community of Einuda.
• Keren Kayemet LeIsrael / Keren Hayesod: Zionist institutions to which the town's Jews made donations.
• The Central Intelligence Agency: The Revisionist Zionist movement that participated in the elections for the Zionist Congress in the settlement.
• Agudat Israel: An ultra-Orthodox movement whose influence in the community increased in the late 1930s.
• Skrunda: A nearby settlement where, according to testimonies, a temporary concentration camp was established for the region's Jews during the Holocaust.

List of sources

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• C48-1f – A historical overview of the history of the town and its people, the life of the Jewish community, Zionist activity and the fate of the Jews during the Holocaust.
• C48-2f – Detailed statistical information and lists of residents, business owners, and property owners in Vainuda from the Latvian Settlement Book (1936).
• C48-3f – Demographic data, background on the establishment of the settlement in 1892, and details on the educational institutions and political currents in the Jewish community.
• C48-4f – A historical overview in English by the Beit Hatfutsot Museum on the Jewish community in Inoda, its sources of livelihood and its destruction in the Holocaust.
• C48-5f – Testimony page containing interviews with Zvi Bogen and Leah Krieg-Glickman about daily life in the community, charitable institutions, and personal memories.
• C48-6f – A Yiddish newspaper clipping from 1930 reporting on the establishment of a Jewish elementary school in the town of Einuda.

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