Pavilosta file / תיק קהילה

📜 The History of the Pavilosta Community: From Its Establishment to Its Destruction in the Holocaust

These sources document the history of the town. Pavilosta In Latvia, since its establishment as a port in 1879 and the destruction of the Jewish community there. The documents detail the Demographic growth of the settlement, which includes lists of property owners and population censuses showing a decline in the number of residents after World War I. Special emphasis is placed on Jewish Community Life, who established a synagogue in the 1920s and was politically involved in the Zionist movement and the city council. The sources reveal The effects of the war, from the Soviet occupation to the German invasion in the summer of 1941, which led to the murder of the local Jews. The documentation ends with a description Their bitter fate of the Jewish residents, who were massacred by the Nazis and local collaborators or deported to nearby Liepaja.

Below is a detailed historical overview of the history of the Jewish community inPavilosta, based on the attached archival sources:

Geography and the establishment of the settlement

The settlement Pavilosta (Pavilosta), known by its German name Paulshafen, located in the subdistrict Aizpute (Aizpute) in the region Kurzema (Kurzeme, former Courland) in Latvia (C87-1f, C87-4f). The settlement was founded in 1879 on the Baltic Sea coast, at the point where the river flows into theSake (Saka) to the sea (C87-1f, C87-3f). Initially the place was called Saccas-Aosta (Sakas-Osta), which means "port of the Saka" (C87-1f, C87-4f). Between 1920 and 1940, the settlement was part of independent Latvia (C87-1f). The information in the sources regarding the founding of the settlement indicates that it served as a port for exporting timber from the surrounding area (C87-3f).

The development of the Jewish community and its institutions

The date of the beginning of Jewish settlement in the place is not explicitly stated, but it is known that a Jewish community existed inPavilosta Even before World War I (C87-1f, C87-4f). In 1914, the population of the settlement numbered about 3,000, but after the war there was a decline in their numbers, especially in the number of Jews (C87-1f, C87-3f). During the 1920s, a synagogue, built mainly from the contributions of Avraham Bar Anshil, which also served asGabbay (C87-3f, C87-4f). The community employed another Jew who served in a combination of roles. slaughterer, Teaches and spiritual leader (C87-3f, C87-4f).

Zionist leadership and activity

During the period of Latvia's independence, a representative from the Jewish community served as a member of theCity Council (C87-1f, C87-4f). Avraham Bar Anshil Served as a council member and director Welfare Office (Social Bureau) of the municipality until his death in 1926 (C87-3f, C87-4f). The Jews of the settlement demonstrated a strong affinity forZionism and donated money toThe Jewish National Fund (C87-1f, C87-4f). In the elections to the 18th Zionist Congress held in 1933, 24 local Jews participated; their votes were divided between the "The Eastern" (11 votes), "Socialist Zionists" (10 votes), "The announcement" (2 votes) and"General scores" (One voice) (C87-1f, C87-3f, C87-4f). Another prominent figure associated with the settlement is Nicolai Kirchner, who served as head of the Zionist Organization in South Africa before immigrating to Israel (C87-3f).

Demographics and Economics in the 1930s

According to printed statistics from 1935, there lived inPavilosta 61 Jews (C87-1f, C87-2f). The printed source "Latvian villages"Specifies that out of a total population of 791 people (364 men and 427 women), the majority of the residents were Latvians (712 people), alongside minorities of Jews (61), Russians (3), Belarusians (1) and Lithuanians (1) (C87-2f). The archive includes a list of Jewish business and shop owners in the settlement: Shmuel Zaks (Smuels Zakss) owned a butcher shop; Yosef Ziv (Joseļa Ziva) andJana Belloca (Jāņa Bloka) ran grocery stores; Yosef Berlowitz (Joseļa Berloviča) andGustav Bendorf (Gustava Bendorfa) were engaged in the trade in wines and spirits; andLive Hazes (Leibas Hāzes) ran a textile and haberdashery store (C87-2f).

Holocaust period

Following an agreement Ribbentrop-MolotovThe Red Army entered Latvia and it was annexed to the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940 (C87-1f, C87-4f). On June 22, 1941, the Germans invaded the Soviet Union, and about ten days later it was occupied. Pavilosta (C87-1f, C87-4f). The local Jews were murdered during the summer of 1941 by the Germans and their Latvian collaborators (C87-1f, C87-3f). There is some uncertainty about the final fate of all members of the community; according to one version appearing in the sources, some members of the community were taken to the port city of Liepaja (Liepaja), and there they perished (C87-1f, C87-4f).

Terms and explanations

• Gabbay: A person responsible for the administrative and financial management of the synagogue (C87-3f).
• slaughterer: A person who has been trained to perform kosher slaughter of animals according to Jewish law (C87-1f).
• Teaches: A teacher who teaches children religious and Jewish studies (C87-3f).
• The announcement: Revisionist Zionist Alliance, a Zionist political movement (C87-1f).
• Aizpute District: Administrative-territorial unit (C87-1f).

List of sources

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• C87-1f – A historical overview printed in Hebrew about Pavilosta, including details about the founding of the settlement, the development of the Jewish community, Zionist activity, and a description of the Holocaust period.
• C87-2f – Photocopies of pages from the original Latvijas ciemi (1936) that include statistical data, lists of property owners, and a breakdown of Jewish-owned businesses and stores in the settlement.
• C87-3f – Historical documentation in Hebrew that expands on the establishment of the synagogue, the work of figures such as Avraham bar Anshil and Nikolai Kirchner, and a list of bibliographical sources.
• C87-4f – Information sheets in English from the archives of the Diaspora Museum that review the geography, demography, community institutions, and the fate of the Jews of the Yishuv during the Holocaust.

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