Valdemarpils file

📜 The Book of Oheli Shem: A History of the Rabbis of Israel and Their Diaspora

These sources present Biographical and historical documentation of significant figures in the Jewish and literary world. The first document includes Yiddish encyclopedia entries which review the lives and work of writers and intellectuals, including Ephraim Deinard, detailing their travels and their contribution to Hebrew literature. The second source is a page from the book "My tents are there", which serves as a biographical guide to rabbis and communities around the world. At the bottom of the page appears Brief information about Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Lowenberg who operated in the Courland region, including details about his Torah and general education. Together, these materials constitute Genealogical and research resource A valuable book about the spiritual and literary leadership of the Jewish people in modern times.

History of the Jewish community in Waldemarpils (Sassmacken)

Geographical background and development of the settlement

The city Waldemarpils (Valdemarpils), known in Jewish and German sources as Sassmacken (Sassmacken), located in the northern region Courland (Kurzeme), in the district Talsi (Talsi) in western Latvia (C89-1f). The settlement was part of the Duchy of Courland under Polish protection until its annexation to Russia in 1796 (C89-1f, C89-4f). In 1894 the settlement was granted city status and in 1917 it received full city rights (C89-3f). In 1926 the city's name was changed from the German name to the current Latvian name, Waldemarpils, in the name of Christianis Valdemars, a leader of the Latvian National Revival who was born nearby (C89-1f, C89-2f, C89-3f). According to printed information from 1935, the area of ​​the city was 3.025 km2 and it bordered Lake Sasmakān (C89-2f).

The beginning of the Jewish community and its institutions

The organization of the Jewish community began in the late 18th century, and during this period the Synagogue The first (C89-1f). The sources indicate that in the "Phinx of the Audience" of the Nigut (Aizpota) from that time, testimonies were given by Rabbi Klonimos (Kalonymos), who lived there and was mentioned from 1775 (C89-1f, C89-3f, C89-4f). In the 19th century, the Jewish settlement grew significantly, and in 1881 there were 1,197 Jews living there, constituting 67% of the total population (C89-1f, C89-3f). At the beginning of the 20th century, in 1901, a private school for boys operated in the city under the direction of Dubinsky (C89-3f, C89-4f).

Religious leadership and prominent figures

Over the years, a continuous dynasty of rabbis served in the city until World War I (C89-1f). Among the most prominent rabbis were Rabbi Moshe Yitzhak Halevi who served in the second quarter of the 19th century, andRabbi Moshe Lernablatt who served from the middle of the century until his death in 1887, and left behind works on halacha and agdah (C89-3f, C89-8f). He then served Rabbi Avraham-Shmuel Rovitsky (Lerneblatt's son-in-law) between 1887–1901 (C89-3f, C89-8f). Another prominent figure was Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Lowenberg (Lewenberg), who served from 1901–1912; he was described as proficient in languages ​​and sciences and wrote commentaries on the Ramban's commentary on the Torah (C89-3f, C89-6f). On the eve of World War I he served as Rabbi Moshe Aharonblatt (C89-3f).

One of the most famous figures born in the city is Ephraim Deinard (1846–1930), who was an important Jewish writer, traveler, and bibliographer (C89-5f). The handwritten information on one of the sources indicates that he was a "historian and bibliographer" (C89-5f).

Economic and social life

The local Jews initially made their living from the forestry trade (C89-1f, C89-4f). A voter list from 1907 lists the names of Jewish business and property owners, including: Selig Weinberg (the most common Jewish name in the city), His son and Mr. Verblov who were partners in a yard goods and tools store, andShalom Tzemach Davidovich who owned a grocery store and a matzo bakery (C89-9f). An exceptionally wealthy and influential man was Shaya Tal (Shai Tal), who acted as an unofficial banker for the city's residents (C89-9f).

After World War I, the economic situation worsened; about 40% of the Jews who returned to the city barely made a living and about 20% were left without a source of income (C89-3f). With the help of The joint A credit and savings fund was established to assist war victims (C89-1f, C89-4f). By 1935 the economic situation had stabilized, and Jews owned 12 of the 53 businesses in the city (C89-1f, C89-3f).

Zionist and political activity

The Jews of the city were involved in extensive Zionist activity between the two world wars. In 1926, 22 heads of families contributed to the Keren Kayemet LeIsrael and in 1928, 20 heads of families contributed (C89-3f, C89-8f). In the elections to the Zionist Congress in 1933, 24 voters participated; the votes were divided between Revisionists (13), east (9), list The Zionist Organization (1) and a list The Working Land of Israel (1) (C89-1f, C89-3f). In the city council elected in 1920, a Jewish representative named Heyman Tal, who participated in the conference of Jewish communities in Latvia (C89-3f, C89-8f).

Holocaust period

The fate of the community was sealed following an agreement Ribbentrop-Molotov and the annexation of Latvia to the Soviet Union in June 1940 (C89-1f). In early July 1941, after the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union, the city was occupied by the German army (C89-1f, C89-3f).

According to later testimony collected in 1995 by a local historian named Eric Prokopovich, the events took place in August 1941 (C89-7f). The Nazis gathered all the Jewish children in one building and the elderly in another (C89-7f). The Jews who were fit for work were taken and all were murdered later (C89-7f). The sources state that all the Jews who were there at the time of the occupation were murdered, and there is no precise information about the circumstances of the murder (C89-1f, C89-3f, C89-4f).

Prokopovich's testimony (which he says is based on police records from the time) adds that the villagers looted and burned the Jewish houses after the murder (C89-7f). Of the entire community, only one 13-year-old girl survived, who was in a "Pioneer" summer camp in Russia during the occupation (C89-7f). The Jewish cemetery was destroyed, and its brick walls were used by the locals as building materials (C89-7f). By June 1995, not a single Jewish family remained in the city (C89-7f).

Historical concepts and terms

• Courland (Kurzeme/Kurland): A historical region in western Latvia, formerly an independent duchy (C89-1f, C89-4f).
• The Joint (Joint/AJDC): A Jewish-American relief organization that provided financial aid to Jewish communities in Europe after wars (C89-1f, C89-4f).
• Audience Pinks: An official record book in which the Jewish community recorded its decisions, regulations, and major events (C89-3f).
• Krišjānis Valdemārs: A Latvian national figure after whom the city was renamed in 1926 (C89-2f, C89-3f).
• Young Pioneers: Communist youth movement in the Soviet Union (C89-7f).

List of sources

To view the document, click on its number.

• C89-1f – A historical overview in Hebrew of the history of the town of Valdemarpils (Sasmaken), including demographic data, community life, and a brief description of the Holocaust period.
• C89-2f – Statistical data, economic description and map of the city of Valdemarpils from an official publication in Latvian from 1936.
• C89-3f – A Jewish demographic table and a detailed historical overview in Hebrew of religious life, education, and the rabbis who served in the town over the years.
• C89-4f – Information sheets in English from the Jewish Diaspora Center that review the history of Valdemarpils, the development of the Jewish community and its fate under the Nazi occupation.
• C89-5f – An excerpt from a Yiddish encyclopedia or lexicon that deals with prominent Jewish figures, including Ephraim Deinard, and their connections to localities in the region.
• C89-6f – Photo of the cover of the book "Aholei Shem" and a short biographical excerpt about Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Robitsky, who served as rabbi in the town of Sassmaken.
• C89-7f – A detailed travel report from 1995 describing a visit by descendants of the community to Waldemarpils, including a meeting with a local researcher and information about Jewish sites in the town.
• C89-8f – English translation of the entry on Valdemarpils from the "Community Directory", which details the history of the community, its rabbis, its institutions and Zionist activity.
• C89-9f – Voter list for the 1907 Russian Duma elections for the town of Sasmakken, including names of residents, their occupations, and categories eligible to vote.

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