Kuldiga file / תיק קהילה

📜 The History of Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Dobitsky and the Courland Communities

These sources provide Historical and demographic documentation Extensive information about the Jewish community in Latvia, with an emphasis on the city Kuldiga (Goldingen) and the province of Courland. The documents include Census data from the 19th century detailing the number of people in the various communities, alongside Name lists Detailed records including family names, dates of birth and residential addresses. A local newspaper from 1902 reports on Current events, such as the Zionist Congress in Minsk and the activities of educational and medical institutions in the region. In addition, materials in Hebrew and Yiddish, including Group photos and handwritten notes, preserving personal and community memories of everyday life. A statistical survey from 1936 seals the collection with information on The economic structureThe professional and social life of the city on the eve of World War II. Together, the sources paint a rich picture of Jewish heritage A branch that existed in the area for generations.

Below is a detailed historical overview of the history of the Jewish community in the city Kuldiga (Kuldiga, also known asGoldingen – Goldingen), based on archival sources:

Terms and definitions

• Courland (Kurland/Kurzeme): A historical region in western Latvia where the city is located (C22-1f).
• Goldingen: The name of the city in German and Russian (C22-4f).
• Sherva Kadisha: A community association responsible for burial and benevolent needs (C22-4f).
• Alufei Kahal: Community leaders and heads (C22-4f).
• Renovated Room (Heder Metukan): A modern Jewish school that combines sacred and secular studies (C22-4f).
• Visiting the sick (Bikkur Cholim): Relief Society for the Support of the Sick and Needy (C22-4f).

The beginning of the settlement and the development of the community

The city Goldingen Founded in 1242 by The Livonian Order (C22-1f, C22-4f). An official Jewish presence was permitted in the city after the region was annexed to Russia in 1795 (C22-4f). In 1797, there were only 26 Jewish men in the city (C22-3f). In 1799, the region's Jews were granted civil rights, which led to rapid growth of the community (C22-4f). According to Handwritten note, it is noted that Jewish settlement in the city began in 1817 (C22-15f). Among the first permanent residents were Hirsch Aron andJonas Salomonsson (C22-3f).

The community continued to grow throughout the 19th century; in 1835 there were 2,330 Jews in the city, constituting about 57% of the total population (C22-3f, C22-4f). In 1850 their number had risen to 2,534 (C22-3f). Towards the end of the century, Jewish emigration to larger cities or out of the country began, and in 1897 the community numbered 2,543 (C22-1f, C22-4f).Handwritten footnote A statistical document states that in 1840, 171 Jews emigrated from the city to an agricultural settlement in southern Russia (C22-1f).

Religious, educational and welfare institutions

In 1801, theSherva Kadisha, and shortly thereafter the synagogue was built and theTalmud Torah (C22-4f). Other community institutions included the "Mishna Circle", prayer groups, and theAudience box office (C22-4f). The first rabbi mentioned in official records as having held the position since 1826 is Avraham Shmuel Dobitsky (C22-1f, C22-4f, C22-7f). The community was greatly influenced by German culture, but later Jews called "traditionalists" arrived in the city and organized a group of Hasidim (C22-4f).

In the field of education, a government school for Jewish boys was established in 1850 (C22-4f). In the 1890s, theRenovated room, and in 1901 there were three private Jewish schools in the city – one for boys and two for girls (C22-1f, C22-4f). Welfare institutions included the Visiting the sick, charity, Supporters of Israel's poor andDressing naked (C22-1f, C22-4f).

Economic and social life

Initially, Jews engaged in petty trade, peddling, selling second-hand clothes, and renting inns (C22-4f). Towards the end of the 19th century, the economic situation improved, and Jewish merchants established a flour mill and factories for the production of matches and needles (C22-4f). In 1935, Jews owned 95 of the 205 businesses and shops in the city (C22-1f, C22-4f). Voter lists from 1907 list the names of many professionals and merchants, including doctors such as Leon Gertsberg andMax Ullman (C22-16f).

Zionist activity in the city began in 1902 with the establishment of the first Zionist Association (C22-1f, C22-4f). Between the wars, branches of The pioneer, Hashomer Hatzair-Netzah andBeitar (C22-1f, C22-4f). In the elections to the 18th Zionist Congress in 1933, the "Working Land of Israel" list received 114 votes, while the Revisionist Party received 90 votes (C22-4f).

The Holocaust and Destruction Period

After an agreement Ribbentrop-Molotov and the establishment of the Soviet regime in the summer of 1940, Jewish public institutions were gradually liquidated (C22-4f). On June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, and the city was occupied on July 1, 1941 (C22-1f, C22-4f). Shortly thereafter, Latvian fascist riots against the Jews began (C22-4f).

The Jews were gathered in the synagogue, from where the men were taken to a nearby forest and murdered in pits they had been forced to dig (C22-4f). Women and children were murdered inFedora Forest (Padura), a few kilometers from the city (C22-1f, C22-4f). The sources describe individual cases of murder, such as that of a man known as "uncle" and his family, as well as a 64-year-old sick woman who was shot in her home (C22-14f). The property of the Jews was divided among the local residents, and the Torah scrolls were transferred to the municipal archive (C22-1f, C22-4f). By the beginning of 1942, the Jewish community in Koldyga had been almost completely eliminated (C22-1f).

After the war and commemoration

The city was liberated by the Red Army in 1944 (C22-4f). A small number of Jewish families returned to the city after the war (C22-1f, C22-4f). The survivors returned the Torah scrolls from the archives and organized a minyan (C22-4f). The synagogue building was converted into a cinema (C22-4f). The survivors erected a memorial to the victims, with the following inscription in Latvian: "Israel's Tomb" (C22-4f). Over the years, the last of the Jews left the city, some immigrated to Israel, and the community ceased to exist (C22-1f, C22-4f).

List of sources

To view the document, click on its number.

• C22-1f – A comprehensive historical overview in Hebrew of the history of the Jewish community in Koldyga, its institutions, economy, and destruction in the Holocaust.
• C22-2f – A chapter on the city of Kuldiga from a book describing cities in Latvia (1936) that includes maps, demographic data, and a list of businesses.
• C22-3f – An in-depth historical study in Hebrew on the development of the Jewish settlement, demography, religious institutions and education in Koldiga.
• C22-4f – A historical summary in English about the Jewish community of Kuldiga (Goldingen), including details about community life and the Holocaust.
• C22-5f – An academic dissertation in German from 1940 dealing with the settlement and demographic history of the city of Goldingen in Courland.
• C22-6f – A Yiddish text dealing with the Jewish labor movement and the activities of the "Bund" branch in the city of Kuldiga.
• C22-7f – Photocopy of a document containing biographical details and a notice regarding the tenure of Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Dobitsky as rabbi of Goldingen.
• C22-8f – Pages of testimony or memoirs handwritten in Yiddish about community life and events in Koldyga.
• C22-9f – Photo of a page from the Jewish Encyclopedia in Russian, which includes biographical entries about prominent figures from the city of Goldingen.
• C22-10f – Photocopy of a handwritten Semitic list of members of the "Kashirat Halutz" association in Goldingen, including ages and personal details.
• C22-11f – Statistical tables and population data of the Jewish communities in the Courland provinces in the years 1835 and 1850.
• C22-12-1f – A page from the newspaper Goldingenscher Anzeiger dated August 3, 1902, containing local news.
• C22-12-2f – Photocopy of a page from the newspaper Goldingenscher Anzeiger dated August 24, 1902, with reports on the activities of the Zionist movement.
• C22-12-3f
• C22-12-4f – Photo of an article from the Latvian newspaper Diena.lv from 2007 dealing with the project of converting the synagogue building in Koldiga into a library.
• C22-12-5f – Photocopy of another page from the newspaper Goldingenscher Anzeiger from August 1902, containing a report on the Zionist Congress in Minsk.
• C22-13-1f – A collection that brings together historical and family photographs of the Jews of Kuldiga, including the Hirschhorn family and scenes of everyday life.
• C22-13-2f – A handwritten note detailing biographical data and dates of birth and death of Zvi Aryeh Hirschhorn and his family.
• C22-13-3f – Taking a group photograph of members of the "Hashomer Hatzair" movement in Koldyga from July 1933.
• C22-13-4f – Photograph of the Jewish cemetery in Goldingen/Koldiga showing the tombstone of Chaim Shalom Becker.
• C22-14f – Documentation in Hebrew about the fate of the Jews of Kuldiga in the Holocaust, including testimonies about specific murders and the destruction of the community.
• C22-15f – Photocopy of handwritten notes in Hebrew reviewing the history of Jewish settlement in Koldyga starting in 1817.
• C22-16f – Jewish voter lists from the city of Kuldiga for the Russian Duma elections in 1907 from the JewishGen database.
• C22-17f – A printed list including names, years of birth and residential addresses of Jewish residents in Koldyga.

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