Memories of Holocaust in Latvia's file / תיק – זיכרונות מהשואה בלטביה

This collection of sources presents multilingual historical documentation concerningCommemoration of the Holocaust and the Righteous Among the Nations in LatviaThe documents include: Handwritten letters and testimonies which detail the work of Janis Lipka, who saved many Jews during the Nazi occupation. Between the pages appears Detailed technical drawing for a memorial monument Designed for the Lipka family, including guidelines for choosing stone and materials. In addition, included are Press clippings and official publications in Russian and Latvian dealing with the struggle against fascism and the fate of the Jews of the region. This collection combines Personal memory for public record of the war period and the efforts to preserve the legacy of heroism. The exhibits serve as living testimony toJewish history in Latvia And the importance of human rescue actions in the heart of darkness.

The Archives of the Association of Latvian and Estonian Immigrants in Israel shares information here as it was published in various sources. The mere publication does not constitute consent or approval of the information.
Regarding this page – Memories of Holocaust in Latvia's file / File – Memories of the Holocaust in Latvia, below is the archive note:
A Soviet publication from 1968 (source H52-2f) claimed that 2,000 people were burned in the Choral Synagogue in Riga, of whom 300 were Jews from Lithuania (Kubna, Šiauliai and Ponebėžys).
Historical research estimates the number of victims in the range of dozens to a few hundred. The number 2,000 is not supported by independent research sources, and it significantly exceeds the accepted estimates.

The documents before us reveal a complex and painful picture of the Holocaust period in Latvia, focusing on two central axes: the atrocities committed by the Nazis and their collaborators, and on the other hand, the heroism of the Righteous Among the Nations, led by the Lipka family, who worked to save Jews at great personal risk (H52-2f, H52-13f, H52-1f).

Key figures

Victims and survivors:

• Marta Treide: A postwoman who was arrested by the fascists on charges of being a member of the Komsomol. She underwent harsh interrogations and was imprisoned in the Slasspils and Ravensbrück camps, but survived the war (H52-2f).
• 300 Jews from Kaunas, Šiauliai and Ponebż: Murdered when the Nazis burned the Great Synagogue in Riga while they were inside it (H52-2f).
• Jews of the Riga Ghetto and the Rumbula Forest: Tens of thousands of Jews who were murdered in the mass massacre in the Rumbola Forest and in the ghetto liquidation operations (H52-2f).
• Jānis & Johanna Lipke: are presented as key figures in the rescue. Janis, born in Jalgava, acted on the universal humanitarian principle of saving human lives wherever they may be and risked his life to save Jews regardless of their religion (H52-1f, H52-13f). Johanna took an active part in managing the hiding places and bunkers (H52-13f).
• The survivors who wrote: The letters contain the names of survivors and family members expressing gratitude to the Lipka family for their rescue (H52-3-1f, H52-3-10f, H52-3-14f).

Nazis and collaborators:

• Latvian police battalions: Units of Latvian bourgeois nationalists who collaborated with the Nazis in carrying out mass murders in Latvia and abroad (H52-2f).
• The Nazis ("Hitlerites"): The German forces that ran the extermination machine and established the concentration camps (H52-2f).

Expansion of important sources

Source H52-2f: Documentation of the extermination of Latvian Jews This source is a significant historical document that summarizes information about the extent of the extermination in Latvia. It describes the fate of some 200,000 Jews who were murdered in Latvia, and details the atrocities in the Rumbula Forest, where people were forced to undress before being shot to death (H52-2f). The source mentions the burning of synagogues and the establishment of the Salaspils death camp, and emphasizes the role of Latvian police battalions in these crimes (H52-2f).

Source H52-13f: Personal testimony of Johanna Lipka This document is Johanna Lipka's vivid and detailed account of the rescue operations. She describes the physical structure of the hiding places, including bunkers dug under the warehouses, and life within the "labyrinth" they created for the survivors (H52-13f). Her account highlights the constant fear and sophistication required to hide people from the Nazis (H52-13f).

Source H52-1f: Commemoration of Janis Lipka This source includes technical drawings and instructions for the construction of a memorial monument to Janis Lipka. The text intended for the monument ("Atcere" – memory) defines him as a true patriot who loved not only his people, but all people without discrimination (H52-1f). The source emphasizes the moral legacy he left behind as a symbol of humanity in a time of darkness (H52-1f).

The series of letters (H52-3-1f to H52-3-16f): The collection of letters, written in the years after the war, reveals the warm bond that was maintained between the survivors and the Lipka family. The letters describe the daily difficulties of the survivors after the war and the difficult memories of the period of hiding, but also the deep gratitude to the rescuers (H52-3-12f, H52-3-14f, H52-15f). Some of the letters deal with the search for missing relatives and attempts to rebuild life (H52-3-7f, H52-3-9f).

List of sources

• H52-1f : Technical diagram and instructions for designing the memorial monument of Righteous Among the Nations Janis Lipka.
• H52-2f : A collection of newspaper clippings and historical information about the extermination of Latvian Jews, the Rumbula massacre, and the story of Marta Triida.
• H52-3-1f : A letter of testimony documenting the rescue activities of the Lipka family.
• H52-3-2f : Correspondence including memories from the war period and the survivors.
• H52-3-3f : A personal letter dealing with the ties between the survivors and the rescuers' families.
• H52-3-4f : Another document documenting the aid and rescue operations in Riga.
• H52-3-5f : Correspondence detailing the names of survivors and information about hiding places.
• H52-3-6f : A letter describing life under occupation and the efforts to survive.
• H52-3-7f : Testimony about the search for survivors and relatives after the war.
• H52-3-8f : A letter of appreciation addressed to the Lipka family for their work.
• H52-3-9f : Correspondence including information about the fate of Jews in the ghettos.
• H52-3-10f : Detailed testimony about the conditions in the hiding places (bunkers).
• H52-3-11f : A letter that combines personal memories with a description of historical events.
• H52-3-12f : Documenting the ongoing connection between the survivors and Johanna Lipka after the war.
• H52-3-14f : A letter containing descriptions of heroism and rescue within the underground labyrinth.
• H52-3-16f : A poem or literary text in Yiddish dedicated to the memory of the events.
• H52-13f : Johanna Lipka's comprehensive and central testimony about the rescue methods and the risks taken.
• H52-15f : Another letter detailing the history of the family and the survivors in the years after the Holocaust.

 

 

– H52-1f

– H52-2f

– H52-3-1f

– H52-3-2f

– H52-3-3f

– H52-3-4f

– H52-3-5f

– H52-3-6f

– H52-3-7f

– H52-3-8f

– H52-3-9f

– H52-3-10f

– H52-3-11f

– H52-3-12f

– H52-3-14f

– H52-3-16f

– H52-13f

– h52-15f

 

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