(1) Liepaja file / תיק קהילה

These sources document the Its history, destruction, and resurrection of the Jewish community inLibau (Liepaja) in Latvia. The collection includes Personal testimonies and diaries Perpetuating the horrors of mass murder in the dunes of Ashoka During the Holocaust, alongside Semitic lists of victims. Alongside the painful memory, the documents present the Community rehabilitation After the war, including the establishment of monuments and the holding of educational and cultural activities. In addition, chapters are presented on The growth of Zionist movements and the rich Jewish life that existed in the city before the tragedy. This review combines Preserving the memory of the past and the celebration of renewed Jewish life in Latvia and the State of Israel.

The following is a comprehensive historiographical overview of the history of the Jewish community inLibau (Liepaja), Latvia, based on the attached archival sources.

Background and founding of the community

The city Libau (Libau), founded in 1625, was until 1914 one of the main ports of the Russian Empire. The Jewish community there was well-established and prosperous; in 1934 the community numbered about 9,000 and enjoyed full civil rights and an extensive community life. The city's Jews engaged in a variety of professions, including trading in wood, grain, and butter, as well as in liberal professions such as medicine, teaching, and dentistry. The social structure of the community included large synagogues alongside small "shtibelachs," charitable institutions, and a variety of Jewish schools (C58-12f, C58-35f).

Cultural life, education and youth movements

Jewish life inLibau They were characterized by the additional activity of many youth movements. The Scouts (The Scouts), established after the founding of the Latvian Republic in 1918, was led by figures such as Harry Levy andMax Mansfeld, and emphasized the values ​​of nature, Zionism, and social unity. The movement The Young Guard developed from the Scout movement and focused on education for immigration and life on a kibbutz, while the Beitar, which established a branch in the city in 1924, was engaged in activist Zionist education and agricultural training. The city also had sports clubs such as Maccabi andThe powerThe education system included traditional "rooms" alongside government and private gymnasiums, where students studied in German, Russian, and Latvian, with the language spoken in Jewish homes mostly being Yiddish (C58-12f, C58-21f, C58-36f).

Immigration to Israel and the Rise of Anti-Semitism

During the 1930s, anti-Semitism began to increase in Latvia, especially from organizations such as theEissargi (Guardians) andFrank-Conquers (Perkonkrust). These political upheavals pushed many young people to seek ways to immigrate to Israel. A notable event is described in the report on the "Odyssey of 1934", in which a group of young people led by Jacques Jacoby (Jack Jacobi/Yakobi) embarked on an illegal journey through Lebanon to reach the Land of Israel, after the quotas for permits (certificates) were reduced (C58-12f, C58-10f).

The German occupation and the beginning of the extermination

With the German invasion on June 29, 1941, systematic murders of the city's Jews began. According to information appearing inHandwritten notes In German, the main murder sites were inRaineys Park, in the lighthouse area and in the dunes Ashoka (Skede). The reports state that thousands of Jews, including many women and children, were executed by SS units and Latvian collaborators. Key war criminals mentioned by name are: A. Frisons (A. Friesons), R. Silyakovs (R. Siljakovs) andErich Handke (Erich Handke). In the Shkada area alone, mass graves were later found with a total area estimated at 3,580 square meters (C58-11f, C58-12f, C58-34f).

The ghetto and the liquidation of the community

On July 1, 1942, it was established Libau Ghetto, into which about 800 Jews who survived the first waves of murders were crammed. Life in the ghetto was managed under the supervision of the ghetto commander. Karcher (Kerscher), who is described in some sources as having treated the Jews relatively humanely compared to other commanders. The ghetto was liquidated on October 8, 1943 (Yom Kippur), and the survivors were transferred to the concentration camp Kaiserwald (Kaiserwald) near Riga, and from there to other camps such as StutthofUpon the liberation of the city, only about 40 Jews survived out of a community of 9,000 people (C58-12f, C58-9f, C58-2f).

Righteous Among the Nations and Rescue Operations

The sources expand on the work of Robert and Johanna Sedules (Robert and Johanna Seduls), who hid 11 Jews in an underground bunker under a bakery at 22 Tirgono Street. The group was hidden there for about 500 days in difficult conditions of hunger and overcrowding. Robert Seduls was killed by a shell in March 1945, a few weeks before the liberation. Another figure mentioned in this context is Anna Sadlov (Anna Sedlov/Seglov), who also assisted in rescuing Jews (C58-6f, C58-7f, C58-3f).

Commemoration and memory

After the war, memorial sites were established in memory of the community's victims. In the cemetery Livas A memorial wall was erected at the site of the murder in Livas, where the names of 7,060 victims are engraved.Ashoka A monument was erected in the shape of a horizontal menorah made of fieldstones, designed by the sculptor. Raymonds GoblinsThe "Lipaia Jewish Heritage" Foundation works to preserve the memory of the community, publishing books and organizing international commemorative events (C58-16f, C58-34f, C58-17-3f).

Terms and concepts from the sources

• Aizsargi: A Latvian nationalist-military organization that actively participated in the persecution and murder of Jews.
• Shtibelach: Small synagogues, mostly owned by Hasidim or craftsmen, which also served as community centers.
• Skede Dunes: A coastal area near Libau that became the main site of the mass murder of the city's Jews.
• Kaiserwald: A central concentration camp near Riga to which the remnants of the communities from Latvia were sent.
• Frank-Conkrust (Perkonkrust): A Latvian fascist and anti-Semitic movement that operated in the 1930s.

List of sources

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