Documents of Extraordinary State Commission (1)'s file / תיק – מסמכים של הוועדה המיוחדת (1)

The documents presented (hereinafter: "the sources") constitute a collection of lists of victims, testimonies and reports compiled by "Special State Commission for the Investigation of Nazi Crimes Committed on Soviet Territory" (Extraordinary State Commission) in Latvia after World War II (H76-1f, H76-32f). These lists document the destruction of Jewish communities in many cities and towns throughout Latvia during the German occupation between 1941–1944 (H76-18f, H76-20f).

Key figures

Victims:

• Mace, Jeselis-Bera: Resident of the city of Aizpute, born in 1874, murdered on October 27, 1941 (H76-4f).
• Mende Bonn: Born in 1891, appears in the victim lists of the Indra region (H76-10f).
• Chernin, Movsha: Resident of Indra, born in 1924, murdered in 1941 (H76-11f).
• Adolfs Vaismane: A lawyer from the city of Jelgava, shot by the Nazi occupiers (H76-19f).
• Doctor Levitass: A doctor and hospital director in Bilgaba, he was included in the list of intellectuals murdered in the city (H76-19f).
• Janis Bruvere: School inspector in Bilgaba, murdered during the occupation (H76-19f).
• Semyon Lyakhov: Born in 1891, resident of Dagda, murdered in 1941 (H76-5f).
• Itzik Bobrov: Born in 1933, appears on a list of victims from the city of Ludza (H76-26f).

Nazis and collaborators:

• Strauch: The commander of the SiPo (Security Police) in Latvia, mentioned as having given orders for the destruction of villages and executions (H76-2f).
• Aizsargi (Guardians): Members of the Latvian "Homeland Guard", mentioned in testimonies as actively collaborating with German soldiers in the arrests, torture and murder of the Jewish population (H76-7f, H76-27f, H76-28f).

Expansion of important sources

Source H76-32f – Historical and methodological introduction: This source is essential to understanding the nature of the entire documentation. It explains that the lists were compiled by the Soviet Union after the war as part of a comprehensive review of war crimes (H76-32f). The information was gathered from investigations, testimonies of neighbors, and findings of local committees. The source notes that the lists are not immune to errors; names are sometimes distorted due to transcription processes (from Latvian to Russian and back) and some of those listed as victims of "German fascists" are not Jewish, although the vast majority are (H76-32f).

Source H76-1f – Geographic Index: This document serves as a key to all the materials of the Special State Commission in Latvia. It lists hundreds of names of settlements (cities, towns, and districts) along with the administrative district (Rayon) and region (Oblast), making it possible to locate the lists of victims specific to each region and area (H76-1f).

Sources H76-11f and H76-12f – Documentation of the destruction of the Indra community: These sources contain detailed lists of dozens of Jewish families murdered in the summer of 1941 (H76-11f, H76-12f). The lists include information on year of birth and place of residence, and illustrate how entire communities were wiped out in a very short period of time with the beginning of the Nazi occupation of the region (H76-11f).

Source H76-27f – Testimonies about murder in the cities of Livani and Daugavpils: This source includes official eyewitness statements about the massacres that took place in July and August 1941 (H76-27f). The testimonies describe how Jews were ordered to report for work, taken in groups outside the city, and shot in pits prepared in advance by German soldiers and local collaborators (H76-27f).

List of sources

• H76-1f : Index of place names for the Special State Commission for the Investigation of Nazi Crimes.
• H76-2f : List of murders, tortures, and Nazi actions in Riga and Daugavpils.
• H76-3f : Lists of victims and reports from the Abrenes area.
• H76-4f : List of Jewish victims from the city of Aizpute.
• H76-5f : List of civilians murdered in the Daugavpils district, Dagda region.
• H76-7f : Testimonies and lists of victims from Daugavpils district.
• H76-10f : Lists of Jewish victims from the Indra region.
• H76-11f : A list of 44 Jewish victims from Indra who were murdered in 1941.
• H76-12f : A continued list of victims from the Indra region and its surroundings.
• H76-18f : Document files on the extermination of civilians in the Jelgava district.
• H76-19f : Statement on the murder of Jewish intellectuals and intellectuals in the city of Jalgabe.
• H76-20f : Lists of victims from the Jekabpils and Kaunata areas.
• H76-26f : Lists of Jewish victims from the city of Ludza.
• H76-27f : Testimony about the extermination of the Jewish population in the city of Livani.
• H76-28f : Detailed lists of victims from the city of Libanis.
• H76-32f : An introduction by JewishGen explaining the origin of the lists of the Special State Committee.

H76-1f

H76-2f

H76-3f

H76-4f

H76-5f

H76-6f

H76-7f

H76-8f

H76-9f

H76-10f

H76-11f

H76-12f

H76-13f

H76-14f

H76-15f

H76-16f

H76-17f

H76-18f

H76-19f

H76-20f

H76-21f

H76-22f

H76-23f

H76-24f

H76-25f

H76-26f

H76-27f

H76-28f

H76-29f

H76-30f

H76-31f

H76-32f

** end of Documents of Extraordinary State Commission (1) files **

**Press to go back to holocaust Table**