Limbazi file / תיק קהילה

📜 The history of the Limbazhi community and its destruction in the Holocaust

These sources review the history of the Jewish community in the city. Limbazi in Latvia, from their first settlement in the 19th century until their complete extermination in the Holocaust. The documents include Statistical data on the size of the population, alongside details on religious and social life, and Geographic and economic information On the structure of the city and its institutions. A significant portion of the text focuses on the tragedy that occurred under the Nazi occupation, including murders committed by For local artists and isolated rescue attempts by a Lutheran priest. In addition, the Jewish resistance and the bitter fate of the residents are described, until in 1944 there were no Jews left in the city when it was liberated by the The Red ArmyThe combination of sources provides a comprehensive picture of the rise, decline, and eventual destruction of this community.

The city Limbazi (Limbazi), also known by its German name For the mass (Lemsal), located in the district Volmira (Valmiera) in the region Vidzeme (Vidzeme) in Latvia (C59-1f). The city was founded in the 13th century, and between 1920 and 1940 it was part of independent Latvia (C59-1f, C59-4f).

The development of the Jewish community

Jewish settlement in Limbazi began inThe 1860s, a period when Jews began to settle in the place because the city was outside theThe seat area (C59-1f, C59-3f). According to statistical data appearing in a printed table, in 1881 the community numbered 254 Jews, who constituted about 14% of the total population (C59-3f). Over the years, the number of Jews gradually decreased: in 1897 there were 159 Jews (7%), and in 1920 their number had dropped to 95 (C59-3f). There is a contradiction in the sources regarding the number of Jews in 1935: while one printed document and an accompanying handwritten table indicate that they lived in the city 100 Jews (C59-1f, C59-3f), an official statistical book from 1936 indicates that it only included 54 Jews constituting 1.88% of the population (C59-2f).

Community life, society and economy

The Jewish community established religious and welfare institutions, including: Minyan, Mikvah And the box Acts of kindness Founded with the assistance ofJoint (C59-1f). A handwritten note states that the amount allocated to the fund was 15 thousand Latvian rubles (C59-3f). The community's children attended general schools (C59-1f). Socially, some of the community members underwent assimilation processes and even joined the Latvian national organization. Eissargi (Aizsargi), while others were active in the Zionist movement (C59-1f, C59-4f). In 1933, 35 of the city's Jews participated in the elections for the 18th Zionist Congress, and the original contains a handwritten note that 19 of them voted for the "Mizrahi list" (C59-1f, C59-3f). Among the prominent figures in the community was Avraham-Yitzhak Levinson (Avraham-Yitzhak Levinzon), who held public office in the 1930s (C59-3f), and is identified in another source asAbram Levinson, the head of the Jewish community whose address was on the street Mill 6 (C59-2f).

In the economic sphere, trade records from 1935 reveal extensive Jewish activity in the city. Business owners included Jaimes Fishmanis (Haims Fišmanis) who was engaged in haberdashery, Haria Goldblatts (Harja Goldblats) andMathilde in Alecs (Matilde Balks) who dealt in ready-made clothes, andIsaac Naglinsh (Izaks Nagliņš) who ran a wine and spirits business (C59-2f).

Holocaust period

Following an agreement Ribbentrop-Molotov and the annexation of Latvia to the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940, some of the young Jews integrated into the institutions of the new regime, including inWorkers' Guard (C59-1f). With the German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, the Soviets began organizing civil defense and also recruited Jews into their ranks (C59-1f). The German army occupied Limbazi in early July 1941, and Latvian nationalists immediately began persecuting and murdering Jews (C59-1f, C59-4f).

An unusual figure mentioned in the sources is the Lutheran priest Edmunds Match (Edmunds Mačs, also appears as Edmund Match), who in return for bribes arranged jobs for several Jewish families on farms (C59-1f, C59-3f). Nevertheless, on September 12, 1941, the Jews were executed; the source notes that it is unclear whether all members of the community were murdered on that date or whether some had been exterminated earlier (C59-1f). During the murders, an attempt at resistance was recorded when a young Jewish man shot Latvian policemen and then shot himself (C59-1f, C59-4f). The manuscript mentions a case of one Jewish child who was hidden and saved by Latvians (C59-3f). When the city was liberated by the Red Army in 1944, no Jews were found there (C59-1f).

Terms and concepts

• Aizsargi: Latvian National Defense Organization (C59-1f).
• Gemilluth Hesed: An aid and relief fund established for the community (C59-1f).
• The Zionist Shekel: Annual membership fee for the Zionist movement that grants the right to vote in the Zionist Congress (C59-3f).
• Workers Guard: A defense force established by the Soviet government in 1940 (C59-1f).
• Pale of Settlement: The area in Imperial Russia where Jews were allowed to reside (C59-3f).

List of sources

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• C59-1f – A historical overview in Hebrew of the city of Limbazi, the development of the Jewish community, demographic data, social and Zionist activity, and a description of the murderous events in the Holocaust.
• C59-2f – An official data file in Latvian that includes a historical overview, population data by religion, a detailed urban map, and lists of Jewish professionals and businesses from 1935
• C59-3f – A historical review document in Hebrew that includes a comparative demographic table between the years 1881 and 1935, handwritten notes on the community's budget and details about its destruction
• C59-4f – Official information sheets in English from the Beit Hatfutsot Museum describing the beginning of Jewish settlement in Limbazi, community institutions, assimilation processes, Zionism and the Holocaust

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