Malta file / תיק קהילה

📜Documenting the Annihilation of the Jews of Malta: A Key to Historical Sources

These sources document the history of the Jewish community in the town. Malta (also known as Silmela) in Latvia, starting from the establishment of the settlement in the second half of the 19th century. The documents include Demographic data, lists of business owners and details about religious and educational institutions that served as a commercial and social center for the area. A significant portion of the material is devoted to the story of The Bobrov family and to describe the local way of life through personal memories and drawn maps. The sources detail the Holocaust period, from the Soviet and German occupation to the brutal murder of the town's Jews by local auxiliary forces in 1941. This review incorporates Historical studies, pages of testimonies and official statistics that preserve the memory of the destroyed community. This is a collection that presents a broad picture of Daily life, the economy and the tragic end of Maltese Jewry.

The town Malta (Malta), also known as Silmala (Silmala), located in the district Razkane (Rezekne) in the region To Italy (Latgale), Latvia (C71-1f, C71-4f). The community began as a fledgling settlement in the 1860s, when the town developed as a marketing center for the surrounding villages (C71-1f, C71-4f).

Demographic development and settlement structure

In 1873 they lived in the town Five Jewish families Only (C71-1f, C71-4f). Towards the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a rapid increase in the Jewish population with the addition of Jews from nearby settlements, until in the first two decades of the 20th century they constituted the Most of the population (C71-1f, C71-4f). In 1920, the place was 221 Jews, who constituted 56% of the total population (C71-1f). However, in 1935 their number had decreased to107 people, who constituted 39% of the total population (C71-1f, C71-4f). In 1936, several nearby settlements were annexed to the town, including the town of Antopol (Antopol), and the name of the united settlement was changed toSilmala (C71-1f).

Economic and commercial life

Most of the Jews of Malta were engaged in trade, owning seven of the ten shops in the town (C71-4f). Among the craftsmen, shoemakers, blacksmiths and tanners were prominent (C71-3f). A Russian-language document indicates that the Jews in the town did not own the houses, but lived in buildings belonging to the landlord. Yanovsky (C71-10-1f). Among the prominent economic figures mentioned is the merchant Lipshitz, which he built in the town Leather processing factory (tanneries) and supplied goods to the army in Minsk and Riga (C71-10-1f). Also mentioned is the tavern keeper, the Jew L. Nayros, who paid annual license fees to the municipality of Rezkna (C71-10-1f). Later lists mention other business owners such as Abraham Abramson, Leib Schatz andIka Benta (C71-2f).

Religious, educational and social institutions

The community had a synagogue (house of prayer), and rabbis and butchers served there (C71-1f, C71-4f). At the beginning of the 20th century, he served as the community's rabbi. Rabbi Chaim Menachem Nachamkin, followed by Rabbi Yitzhak Don-Yahia, son of Rabbi Eliezer Don-Yahia (C71-1f, C71-4f). A "Gemilot Chesed" credit fund and a Jewish elementary school were established in the community, which were supported by the organizationJOINT (C71-1f, C71-4f). However, in the 1930s the school was closed due to a lack of students, and the children of the community moved to the Jewish school inAntopol (C71-1f, C71-4f). Politically, in the elections to the All-Russian Jewish Congress in Petrograd (1917), 45 members of the community voted for the religious list, 30 for the United Socialist list, and a few votes were given to the Zionist parties (C71-1f, C71-4f).

Key characters: Nahum Bobrov ("The Uncle")

One of the central and influential figures in the town was Nahum Bobrov, known in Yiddish as "The Uncle" (Uncle) (C71-3f, C71-5f). Bobrov was a wealthy merchant and property owner, who owned Leather processing factory and a flour mill operated by Locomobile (C71-5f). He was described as a religious and respected man, deeply involved in community life and providing assistance to those in need (C71-3f, C71-5f). In 1934, a major fire broke out on his property, causing heavy damage, and according to handwritten testimonies, Nahum rescued from the fire Torah scrolls (C71-5f, C71-20). A handwritten note indicates that in 1939 he was still remembered as a leading figure in the community (C71-9f).

The Holocaust and the Destruction of the Community

Following the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940, and some Jewish business owners lost their property due to nationalization (C71-1f, C71-4f). On June 22, 1941, with the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Malta was occupied (C71-1f, C71-12). The local police force was headed by a Latvian named B. Pontoulis (B. Puntulis) (C71-3f, C71-9). In July 1941, about 40 Jews from the town were arrested and executed in a nearby forest (C71-1f, C71-12). In August 1941, the remaining Jews from the town and surrounding area (about 200 people) were rounded up and taken to a basement in the suburbs. In Borovaya (Borovaja), where they were murdered by Latvian collaborators (C71-1f, C71-4f). Testimonies indicate severe abuses, including the murder of small children with bayonets (C71-4f, C71-12). Before the Germans withdrew in 1944, they burned the bones of the murdered to cover up the crime (C71-1f, C71-12).

Terms and explanations

• The Uncle (Der Peter) – A Yiddish nickname meaning "the uncle", by which Nachum Bobrov was known among the townspeople (C71-3f).
• Locomobile (Locomobile) – A portable steam engine used to power industrial machinery such as flour mills (C71-5f).
• Acts of kindness – A traditional Jewish community institution for providing interest-free loans to the needy (C71-1f).
• Tanneries – The art of processing raw hides into leather products (C71-1f).
• Moyim (Muyme) – A Yiddish nickname meaning "aunt", which appears in the family testimonies (C71-5f).

List of sources

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• C71-1f – A historical summary printed in Hebrew on the development of Malta, community institutions, rabbinical figures, and the events of the Holocaust.
• C71-2f – Statistical data and a list of names of property owners, shops and businesses in Malta from the Latvian Yearbook from 1936.
• C71-3f – A comprehensive historical overview in Hebrew that includes demographic tables, a list of rabbis, and an overview of the fate of the community during the Holocaust.
• C71-4f – A report in English on behalf of the Diaspora House, reviewing economic life, educational institutions, and the extermination of the Jews of the town and surrounding area.
• C71-5f – Ziska Yaft's detailed family memories of Nachum Bobrov, the steam factory, and the story of saving the Torah scrolls from the fire.
• C71-6f – Semitic lists of Maltese Jews by residence and personal testimonies about the lifestyle and fate of the community members.
• C71-7f – Cover and table of contents of a collection of academic studies on issues in Holocaust research in Latvia, published by the Historians' Committee.
• C71-8f – A photograph of the synagogue building in Malta accompanied by a handwritten identification inscription.
• C71-9f – A short handwritten note in Yiddish and Hebrew mentioning "Der Feter" (Nahum Bobrov) and the Maltese community in 1939.
• C71-10-1f – A report in Russian from 1873 about the beginning of Jewish settlement in Malta, ownership of property, and the operation of tanneries.
• C71-11f – A geographical map showing the location of the town of Malta in relation to Razkana, Antopol, and Borovaya.
• C71-12f – Index of pages from a research book detailing the extermination sites in Latvia, including a mention of Malta.

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