Memorial Project in Rumbuli's file / תיק – פרויקט זיכרון ברומבולי

These sources document the efforts to establish Mass graves memorial and restoration site In the Rumbula Forest on the outskirts of Riga, where thousands of Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. The collection includes Architectural plans, drawings of tombstones bearing inscriptions in three languages, and a budget breakdown for infrastructure and landscaping work on the site. Official documents of the local cultural department reveal the logistics behind the project, including requests for mechanical equipment, construction materials, and organizing volunteer work days. In addition, the sources present Maps of the Riga Ghetto and newspaper clippings describing visits by IDF delegations and survivors to the site in later decades. A personal and moving handwritten letter expresses the The deep connection to the Land of Israel and the pain of the persecution of Jews under Soviet rule. Together, the documents reflect the The struggle to preserve memory The Jew in Latvia in the Face of Official Policy and Bureaucratic Difficulties.

The sources you provided focus on preserving the memory of the Holocaust in Latvia, with an emphasis on the massacre in the Rumbula Forest, the Riga Ghetto, and the activities of the Jewish community and its survivors after the war.

Riga Ghetto and Rumbola Forest: The Sites of Murder and Their Commemoration

Sources include a detailed map of the Riga Ghetto, showing the boundaries of the "Large Ghetto" (which existed from October 23 to November 30, 1941) and the "Small Ghetto" (which existed from November 30, 1941 to May 4, 1942), as well as the boundaries of the ghetto of foreign Jews (H49-12f).

After the war, significant efforts were made to erect a monument and memorial site in the Rumbula Forest, the site of the mass murder. The project for the monument included a detailed architectural design of a 140 x 100 cm black granite stone, which was placed on a limestone wall (H49-9f, H49-10f). The inscriptions on the monument were in Latvian, Russian, and Yiddish: "To the victims of fascism" and the dates 1941, 30.XI – 8.XII (H49-10f, H49-9f, H49-6f) were indicated.

Development work at the site included:

• Infrastructure and paving: Paving a 150-meter-long asphalt access road and paving sidewalks and paths with gravel (H49-1f).
• Logistics and equipment: Requests were submitted for tractors, trucks, and cranes to level the area, transport black soil to cover mass graves, and place memorial stones (H49-2f, H49-5f, H49-7f, H49-8f).
• Community work: In 1963, a "Voskarsnik" (voluntary work day) was organized in the Rumbola Forest, where participants were called upon to come with hoes and rakes to prepare the area (H49-11f).

Jewish and Zionist Awakening in Latvia

The sources reveal an aspect of Jewish resistance and Zionist activity under Soviet rule. A handwritten letter from Ruth Alexandrovich (A. Ruta), written in anticipation of her arrest, expresses a deep connection to the Land of Israel: she states that her conscience is clear and that she is being judged only for being a Jew who aspires to immigrate to her homeland, Israel (H49-15f).

In addition, Jewish activists from Riga were reported to have arrived in Israel, including those defined as "prisoners of Zion" who were involved in the struggle for immigrating (H49-17f). Groups of survivors met in Riga to preserve the memory of the wiped out community, including figures such as Motek Cohen and David Korshansky (H49-16f).

"Witnesses in Uniform" – The Modern Israeli Connection

A delegation of IDF officers visited Latvia as part of the "Witnesses in Uniform" program. The officers visited the murder sites in Bikerniki and Rumbula, met with the local Jewish community, and noted the importance of understanding the Holocaust as part of Israeli identity (H49-13f). The Righteous Among the Nations was commemorated at these ceremonies. Nikolai Lazarev, who saved Jews during the war, and his daughter Vera received a certificate of appreciation in his name (H49-13f).

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Key figures

Victims, survivors and Jewish figures:

• Ruth Alexandrovich (A. Ruta): A Zionist activist from Riga who wrote a moving letter before her arrest about her right to immigrate to Israel (H49-15f).
• Mark (Motek) Cohen: A Holocaust survivor who met with other survivors in Riga (H49-16f).
• David Korshansky: A Holocaust survivor who participated in memorial meetings in Riga (H49-16f).
• Hanna Rabinowitz, Yitzhak Shlomo-Beitsch, Yaakov Plov, Libi, Weiss, Schwartz: Survivors mentioned as part of the "remnants" who met in Riga after the war (H49-16f).
• Vera Moravchik: Daughter of Righteous Among the Nations Nikolai Lazarev, who received a medal of honor in his name (H49-13f).
• Nikolai Lazarev: Righteous Among the Nations who saved Jews during the war (H49-13f).
• Yitzhak Rabin: The Prime Minister who sent a greeting on the occasion of the arrival of a prisoner of Zion from Riga (H49-17f).
• IDF officers: Members of the "Witnesses in Uniform" delegation who visited Latvia (H49-13f).

Nazis and hostile elements:

• "The Fascists": The sources refer generally to the "fascist terror" and the German murderers who committed the massacres in Rumbola and the ghetto (H49-10f, H49-13f, H49-2f).

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List of sources

• H49-1f : A detailed architectural plan for the development of the burial site at Rumbula, including cost estimates and road construction.
• H49-2f : Logistical inquiries for the allocation of a tractor and the transportation of soil to cover the mass graves in Rumbula.
• H49-3f : Requests for the supply of curbstones and technical assistance to strengthen tombstones at the memorial site.
• H49-4f : Instructions for gardening and grass planting work on the graves of the victims in Rumbula.
• H49-5f : Correspondence regarding the allocation of trucks and the use of temporary wooden infrastructure at the construction site in Rumbula.
• H49-6f : Instructions regarding the engraving of inscriptions on memorial plaques in two languages ​​(Russian and Latvian).
• H49-7f : Request for the allocation of a crane for the purpose of installing memorial plaques on the site.
• H49-8f : Request for the supply of building materials (cement and gravel) for the placement of memorial plaques.
• H49-9f : Technical drawing of the memorial monument in Rumbola with the inscription "To the victims of fascism."
• H49-10f : A detailed project for the construction of a memorial monument in Rumbola, including the dimensions of the monument and the types of materials.
• H49-11f : Announcement of a volunteer work day ("Vaskersnik") in the Rumbola Forest for the purpose of cleaning and preparing the area.
• H49-12f : A map of the Jewish ghetto in Riga, detailing the division of the ghetto and its borders during different periods.
• H49-13f : An article about the "Witnesses in Uniform" delegation of IDF officers in Latvia and their meeting with the local community.
• H49-15f : A personal, handwritten letter from Ruth Alexandrovich expressing her desire to immigrate to Israel before her arrest.
• H49-16f : A newspaper article describing a meeting of Holocaust survivors in Latvia and their stories of survival.
• H49-17f : Report on the immigration of Zionist activists ("Prisoners of Zion") from Riga to Israel and the Prime Minister's blessing.

– H49-1f

– H49-2f

– H49-3f

– H49-4f

– H49-5f

– H49-6f

– H49-7f

– H49-8f

– H49-9f

– H49-10f

– H49-11f

– H49-12f

– H49-13f

– H49-14f

– H49-15f

– H49-16f

– H49-17f

 

** end of Memorial Project in Rumbuli files **

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