Chronics from Ghetto Riga M.Gerz's file / תיק – כרוניקות מגטו ריגה מ. גרץ

The sources shown are Historical evidence and visual documentation A shocking horror The Holocaust, with an emphasis on the Riga Ghetto and concentration camps. The texts include Personal memories in Yiddish of survivors describing mass murders, torture, and the brutality of specific Nazi officers. The attached photos Documenting the harsh reality of hunger, bodies in firing pits, labor camps, and gas chambers. In addition, Official documents and lists of names detailing the fate of the Jews of Latvia and Europe. Together, the materials constitute Testimony Archive A powerful commemoration of the suffering of the victims and the war crimes of the Germans. This is a collection that combines Words and pictures To preserve the collective memory of the Jewish destruction.

The main events in Riga (1941-1944)

The Nazi occupation of Riga began on July 1, 1941 (H48-1f). On July 4, 1941, the Choral Synagogue on Gogol Street was set on fire, with hundreds of Jews locked inside (H48-1f). Riga Ghetto Established at the end of October 1941 in a suburb of Moscow ("Masske Verstadt") and concentrated about 30,000 Jews (H48-1f, H48-1-130f). The extermination of the Jews of the ghetto was carried out in two major mass actions on November 30 and December 8, 1941 in the forest Rombola (H48-1f). Many more Jews were sent to the concentration camp Salaspils and to other camps (H48-1f).

Key figures:

Victims:

• Ofarim Sklyar: Composer, conductor and director of the Jewish Music Society in Riga. Arrested in August 1941 and murdered by the Germans (H48-1-122f, H48-1f).
• Max Schreiber: Poet, linguist and secretary of Jewish cultural institutions (H48-1-120f, H48-1f).
• Hirsch Brickman: Famous lead singer and choir conductor (H48-1-120f, H48-1f).
• Isaac Landau: A musician and educator, he headed the music and education section in the ghetto (H48-1f).
• David Moyets: Jewish violinist and composer (H48-1-120f, H48-1f).
• Michel Wolfram: Prominent Jewish musician (H48-1-120f).
• After Kernan: A survivor of the Riga ghetto who provided detailed testimony about life and the extermination (H48-1-130f).
• Freida Michelson: The survivor of the Rumbula massacre who documented the atrocities (H48-1f).

Nazis:

• Kurt Krause: The commander of the Riga ghetto, known for his extreme cruelty towards the Jews (H48-1f).
• Herbert Cukurs: Latvian collaborator, a notorious murderer who took an active part in setting fire to synagogues and murdering Jews (H48-1-14f, H48-1f).
• Fritz Menz: A Nazi officer who supervised the work in the ghetto and practiced sadism (H48-1f).
• Roschmann: One of the ghetto commanders responsible for many war crimes (H48-1f).
• Oskar Tobel: A senior Nazi official in the ghetto administration (H48-1f).
• Dralle: A Nazi official who was involved in the management of the ghetto (H48-1f).

List of sources

• H48-1f : A comprehensive collection of documents that includes testimonies about the Riga Ghetto, the Rumbola massacre, and Jewish cultural activity.
• H48-1-14f : Pages containing information about the murder of Jews and the activities of collaborator Herbert Zukurs.
• H48-1-120f : List of key figures, artists and Jewish intellectuals who were murdered in the Holocaust in Riga.
• H48-1-122f : A detailed biography of the composer Ofarim Sklyar and his musical activities.
• H48-1-130f : Personal testimony about life in the Riga ghetto and the actions that were carried out there.

The source H48-1f It is a large-scale collection of documents and testimonies, meticulously and painfully documenting the destruction of Riga Jewry during the Holocaust. The document combines personal testimonies in Yiddish, lists of names of those murdered, descriptions of daily life in the ghetto, and photographic documentation of the murder sites and the ghetto.

Below is an expansion on the main topics that appear in the original:

• The beginning of the occupation and the first massacres: The source describes the German army's entry into Riga on July 1, 1941, and the "Night of Terror" in which synagogues were set on fire, with their occupants being the first to be burned. The testimonies emphasize the active role of Latvian collaborators in these acts.
• The establishment of the ghetto and life in it: The process of concentrating Jews in a Moscow suburb at the end of October 1941 is described. The source details the terrible overcrowding, hunger, and the grueling forced labor to which the Jews were subjected. The division into the "small ghetto" after the large Aktions is described.
• Mass extermination (Rombola and other Aktions): The source includes shocking descriptions of the Aktions on November 30 and December 8, 1941 in the forest. Rombola, where about 28,000 of the ghetto's Jews were murdered. There is also detail about the "Children's Action" and deportations to concentration camps such as Salaspils andKaiserwald .
• Cultural and spiritual life under terror: An extensive chapter in the original is devoted to the loss of intellectuals, artists, and musicians. These lists serve as a memorial to a rich cultural community that was cut short, and include brief biographies of prominent composers, poets, and educators.
• The Ghetto Leadership and War Criminals: The source details the names and positions of the Nazi commanders who ran the ghetto and carried out the murders, noting specific acts of cruelty they committed.

Source title

• Chronicles von Rieger Geta – Chronicles of the Riga Ghetto.Salaspils von Rieger Geta – Salaspils of the Riga Ghetto.
  • Lieutenant Fritz Mentz – Lieutenant Fritz Mentz.
  • The Sharpshooter Eskar Tobel – Sharführer (platoon commander) Oskar Tobel.
  • Lieutenant Drale Haafaner – Lieutenant Darla Hefner.
  • Der Obersturmbanfirer Adi Razhman – Obersturmführer (Lieutenant Colonel) Adi Rashman.
  • Der Dichter Nachmen Diemenstein – The poet Nachman Dimenstein.
  • Der Shalaam-Eliycham Avent in Rieger Geta – Shalom Aleichem Eve in the Riga Ghetto.
  • Campazitar Afraim Skliar – Composer Ephraim Sklyar.
  • Musician – Musicians.
  • Artistan – Artists.
  • Rabbiner and Clay-Kodesh – Rabbis and sacred vessels.
  • Appen Rieger Pratzes (from Court-Zal) – At the Riga trial (from the courtroom).
  • Galgen-Homar von Rieger Geta – Gallows humor from the Riga Ghetto.
  • What was told by Lieutenant Anna Kulnyeva – What Lieutenant Anna Kolnaeva tells.
  • Di üisergeweinlechle maalucha-kamisie – The Special State Committee.

 

 

– H48-1f

– H48-1-14f

– H48-1-120f

– H48-1-122f

– H48-1-130f

** end of Chronicles from Ghetto Riga M.Gerz files **

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