Liezere file / תיק קהילה

📜 Documentation of the Liezere community during the Holocaust

The sources provide historical information about the settlement. Lasera Located in the Madonna district of the region Vidzeme, LatviaIt is noted that in 1930 they lived in the village Four Jews only, but their livelihood remains unknown. The documents describe the dramatic political changes in the region, starting from the period when Latvia was Independent country, through its annexation to the Soviet Union following Ribbentrop-Molotov PactWith the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, the region was occupied by German ArmyDespite the documentation of a Jewish presence in the area, the sources emphasize that No information available Regarding the fate of the Jews who lived there during the Holocaust.

The settlement Liezere Located in the sub-district Madonna, in the region Vidzeme onLatvia (C63-1f, C63-4f). Some sources indicate that the region is also known as Livland (C63-3f). Between the years 1920–1940In the period between the two world wars, the settlement was part ofIndependent Latvia (C63-1f, C63-4f).

Demographically, the Jewish community in the area was extremely small; according to the third Latvian census of 1918, 1930, lived in the rural area of ​​the settlement Only 4 Jews (C63-1f, C63-3f). The printed sources explicitly state that It is unknown what their source of income was. of those Jews who lived there at that time (C63-1f, C63-4f).

Holocaust period And the political changes in the region began as a result of Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, signed in August 1939 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. As a result of this agreement, Latvia was annexed to the Soviet Union. During the summer of 1940 (C63-1f, C63-4f). With the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union inJune 22, 1941, the advance of the German forces began, and during the beginning of the month July 1941 The German army occupied the Leizera area (C63-1f, C63-4f).

As for the fate of the Jews who were in the settlement during the occupation, the historical information available in the archives is incomplete. All sources state unequivocally that No details available or documented information about the fate of the Jews in the settlement under German occupation (C63-1f, C63-3f, C63-4f).

Examination of the documents revealed a number of handwritten markings and technical details: At the top of one of the documents appears a handwritten entry including the letters and numbers "STBH 205" and below it a marking that appears to be "27 II" (C63-1f). Another document, produced inAugust 1, 1990, bears the museum stamp and indicates the name of the settlement in large Latin letters (C63-4f).

Geographical terms and concepts

• Vidzeme: One of the four historical cordilleras that make up Latvia, located in the north-central part of the country.
• Livland: The historical and German name for the region that includes large parts of Latvia (including the Vidzeme region) and southern Estonia.
• Madona District: An administrative unit in Latvia that includes the settlement of Laizera.
• Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact: A non-aggression pact signed in 1939 between the foreign ministers of Germany and the Soviet Union, which included a secret annex that divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

List of sources

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• C63-1f – A Hebrew overview of the settlement of Leizera, including geographical details, demographic data from 1930, and a description of the beginning of the German occupation in 1941.
• C63-3f – A document in Hebrew detailing the number of Jews in Lazra in 1930 and noting the lack of information about their fate in the Holocaust, including a reference to a statistical source.
• C63-4f – An information sheet in English that includes a historical overview of Laizara between 1920–1940, the impact of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and the German occupation.

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