Student Works on the Latvian Holocaust's file / תיק – סטודנט עובד על השואה הלטבית

These documents document the History of the Holocaust of Latvian Jews Through comprehensive historical research based on Survivor Testimonies and statistical data. The text reviews the The stages of destruction in major cities such as Riga, Dvinsk and Lviv, detailing the establishment of The ghettos and concentration camps Under Nazi occupation. Sources include Numerical tables of the victims alongside personal descriptions of Daily life in the ghetto, forced labor, and the activities of the Jewish underground. In addition, documentation of Local cooperation with the Nazis and the destruction of the cultural and religious life of the community. Some of the documents serve asAcademic research paper which seeks to commemorate the tragedy for the Ministry of Education.

The sources describe in detail and painfully the experiences of Latvian Jewry during the Holocaust, from the German invasion to the liquidation of the communities. The documentation includes statistical data, personal testimonies, and a description of the German and local mechanisms that operated to exterminate the Jews (H15-1f). Some of the materials appearing in the sources are part of a final thesis submitted in 1974 by student Tamar Tzantsiper (H15-2f).

Major events

• The German invasion (June 1941): Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 21, 1941, and within a short time all of Latvia had fallen to the Germans (H15-1f). Upon their entry, pogroms against Jews began in various cities, sometimes with the encouragement and active participation of the local population and fascist organizations such as the "Perkonkrusts" (H15-1f).
• Establishment of the ghettos (October 1941): Ghettos were established in the main cities to concentrate the Jewish population. The Riga ghetto was established in October 1941 and initially included about 30,000 Jews (H15-1f). Ghettos were also established in Dvinsk (Daugavpils) and Liepaja (Liepāja), where conditions of overcrowding, hunger, and forced labor prevailed (H15-1f).
• The "Aktions" and the mass slaughter: The sources detail a series of mass murders. The most notable event is the massacre inRombola (November-December 1941), in which about 27,800 Jews of Riga were murdered (H15-1f). Similar massacres occurred inShakirotwa (Skirotava), where thousands of Jews who were also brought from Western Europe were murdered (H15-1f).
• The destruction of Jewish culture: Beyond physical murder, the Germans worked to completely destroy Jewish culture by confiscating books, holy books, and archives from educational institutions and synagogues (H15-1f).

Central places

• Riga: The capital city where the largest ghetto was established. The sources describe the division of the ghetto into the "Great Ghetto" and the "Small Ghetto" (after the Aktions) and the underground activity therein (H15-1f).
• Dvinsk (Dougbefils): A city where thousands of Jews were exterminated, with sources stating that approximately 11,034 Jews were murdered there by November 1941 (H15-1f).
• Liepaja: A place where a mass massacre was carried out on the seaside, where thousands of Jews were murdered in various "Aktions" (H15-1f).
• Kaiservald: A central concentration camp to which the remains of Jews from the ghettos that were liquidated in 1943 were transferred (H15-1f).

Individuals and groups

• The ghetto leadership: Inside the ghettos, the "Elders' Council" (Elternrat) and the Jewish police operated. The Riga Ghetto Police was headed by Michael Rosenthal (H15-1f).
• The Germans: Commanders such as are mentioned Dr. Pavelmacher (Pavelmacher), the commander of the German fleet in Liebenberg who gave orders regarding the Jews, and the general Ankle (Enkel) who supervised the extermination operations (H15-1f).
• Witnesses and survivors: The sources are based on testimonies from survivors such as Boris Tsentsiper, Yaakov Gala andRebecca Kissina, describing the agonizing choice between fleeing to Russia and remaining under occupation (H15-1f). Boris Tsentsiper is also mentioned in the context of his daughter's later research work (H15-2f).
• The Jewish underground: In the "Little Ghetto" in Riga, an armed underground consisting of young Jews, communists, and members of Betar operated, who tried to resist the Germans and establish contact with partisans (H15-1f).

List of sources

• H15-1f : A comprehensive historical document that includes testimonies, statistical data, and a chronological description of the Holocaust of Latvian Jews in Riga, Dvinsk, and Līvā.
• H15-2f : An official letter from the "Hari Yehuda" regional school confirming the submission of student Tamar Tzantsiper's final thesis on the subject of the Latvian Holocaust.

 

– H15-1f

– H15-2f