Asune File / תיק קהילה

📜The Asuna Community: Its History and Destruction in the Holocaust

The sources presented review the history ofThe Jewish community in the village of Asunain Latvia, from the period of independence until the war. Initially, the documentation details theJewish population dataThe small population numbered a few dozen residents in the 1920s and 1930s. With the outbreak of World War II and the occupation of the area byThe Soviets and then the Germans, a dramatic and tragic change occurred in the situation of the local Jews. The documents emphasize that shortly afterThe invasion of the Nazi armyIn the summer of 1941, the village's Jews were murdered along with refugees from the nearby town of Dagda. The summary of the information preserves theThe memory of the destroyed communityand provides a brief historical and demographic background on the bitter fate of its residents.

This historical overview focuses on the history of the Jewish community in the settlementAsuna(Asune), according to the documentation found in the sources (C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f). It should be emphasized that while the query referred to Estonian Jewry, all of the attached sources explicitly state that the settlementAsunaLocated inLatvia(C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f).

Geographical and administrative location

The villageAsunaLocated in the subdistrictDaugavpils(Daugavpils), formerly calledDvinsk(Dwinsk), in the regionLatgale(Latgale) Sit downLatvia(C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f). In the period between 1920 and 1940, the settlement was part ofIndependent Latvia(C14-4f).

Demographics of the Jewish community

According to the sources, in1925Lived inAsunaAnd in the surrounding villages29 Jews(C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f). In1930Number of Jews in the settlement24 people(C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f).

The period of Soviet rule (1940–1941)

Following the agreement signed betweenThe GermansbetweenThe SovietsIn August 1939, it was annexedLatviaIn the summer of 1940Soviet Union(C14-1f, C14-4f). During this year, the sources indicate thatThe Jews integrated into the new regime(C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f).

The Holocaust and the German occupation

Late June or early July1941, a few days after the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union, capturedGerman Armythe area (C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f). Shortly after the occupation, in the summer of 1941,The Jews of Asuna were murdered.By the Germans (C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f). Jews from the city were murdered along with them.Dagda(Dagda), who tried to find shelter in the village (C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f).

Analysis of sources and archival information

The historical information is based on several documentary and bibliographical sources:

• Institutional records:Document produced byNachum Goldman Museum for the DiasporaDated July 31, 1990 (C14-4f). This document statesHandwritten markingof literature "14-4" within a circle (C14-4f).
• Bibliography and secondary sources:Source C14-3f indicates that the information is based onTestimony of Hanin, Yitzhak(found in the Latvian Archives/ALA, II vol. 10), as well as on the bookBlackbook of Localities(C14-3f).
• Statistics:The sources are based on population censuses conducted byM. Skujeniekin Latvia between 1925–1928, as well as the third census in Latvia from 1930 (C14-3f).
• Archival markings:At the top of one of the documents appears the scoreSTBH 280(C14-1f). On the printed text in the original C14-3f appearsHandwritten marking(sort of like the letter "v") next to the word "Dagda" (C14-3f).

The information in the sources is consistent regarding the timelines, geographical location, and tragic sequence of events of the community (C14-1f, C14-3f, C14-4f).

List of sources

• C14-1f: A historical overview printed in Hebrew about the settlement of Asuna in Latvia, including demographic data and information about the murder of community members and refugees from the city of Dagda during the Holocaust.
• C14-3f: An information sheet that includes a brief historical overview of Assuna Jewry and a list of bibliographical sources based on testimonies, population censuses, and research literature.
• C14-4f: An official document in English from the archives of the Beit Hatfutsot Museum from 1990, reviewing the history of the Asuna settlement under the rule of independent Latvia, the Soviet Union, and the German occupation.

C14-1f

C14-3f

C14-4f

**End of Sources Section**

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