Saldus file / תיק קהילה

📜 Rabbi Ehrlich's Letter: Menachem's Words and the Jewish People

These sources document the History of the Jewish community in Saldos in Latvia, from the beginning of Jewish settlement in the second half of the 19th century until after the Holocaust. The collection includes Historical and demographic reviews detailing the growth of religious and social institutions in the town, alongside Semitic lists of local families and their fates. A significant portion of the texts is devoted toDescription of the Holocaust period, including details of persecutions, executions by the Nazis, and individual rescue stories. In addition, the sources contain Personal documents and diaries Handwritten accounts that present first-hand accounts of the experiences of war and displacement. There are also memorial pages and obituaries that commemorate Prominent figures in the community, such as Gina Rabanovich, and describe the connection between the town's survivors and the State of Israel. In summary, the materials constitute Comprehensive documentary archive which preserves the memory of the rich Jewish life that was cut short and the effort to perpetuate it.

History of the Jewish Community inSaldos (Saldus), also known in Jewish sources asFrauenburg (Frauenburg), reflecting the annals of Latvian Jewry in the region Courland (KurlandThe city, located in the sub-district Kuldiga (Kuldiga), began to develop as an official settlement in 1856, but evidence of ancient Jewish tombstones in its vicinity suggests an earlier Jewish presence in the area (C84-1f, C84-4f).

Rabbinical leadership and prominent figures in the community

The community has been led over the years by rabbis of great stature. The first rabbi was Yehuda Hirshon (Hirschson), who served in his position until 1902 (C84-1f). He was succeeded by the Rabbi Moshe Shalom Stoll (Stoll), who was the son-in-law of the sage Mordechai Abinowitz and studied in the yeshivots of Lithuania and Vilna (C84-7f). The rabbi Stoll He published several books, including "World name", "Noam's ways"And"Moses preached" (C84-7f). The last rabbi of the community was Menachem Erlich (Ehrlich), who perished in the Holocaust (C84-4f). The Rabbi Ehrlich He was the author of the book "Menachem's words", and in a letter he sent from the archives he describes the importance of the book for strengthening the spirit of the Jewish people (C84-8f). Another prominent personality is Gina Rabinowitz (nee Conductorsky), who was born in Frauenburg in 1898 and worked as an educator in the "Children's House", an institution that was an educational and spiritual cultural center in the community (C84-6f).

Community institutions and cultural life

The community institutions were established in the second half of the 19th century, led by theSherva Kadisha Founded in 1871 (C84-3f). The community was active synagogue, Beit Midrash, and two houses of prayer, next to the Relief Society "Linat Tzedek" (C84-1f). In the field of education, the boys studied inroom While the girls received private lessons from German teachers (C84-4f). In 1921, a school opened in the city Hebrew school At the initiative of the Rabbi Stoll, and branches of Zionist youth movements were founded such as "Zionist Association", "Zion Youth"And"Hashomer Hatzair-Netzah" (C84-3f, C84-5f). The cultural center of the young people was the "The National Club"(National Club), where Yiddish and Hebrew study classes, a library, and theater activities were held (C84-3f, C84-4f).

Economy and relations with the environment

Most of the community members were engaged in trade and crafts. Trade intree It was almost entirely in Jewish hands, and among the craftsmen one could find tailors, shoemakers, tinsmiths and hatters (C84-1f, C84-4f). Doctors, dentists and lawyers also worked in the community (C84-4f). In 1935 there were 140 businesses and shops in the city, of which 48 were Jewish-owned (C84-3f). Relations with the local population were initially described in printed sources as cordial, but these were undermined with the rise of fascist and anti-Semitic groups in the early 1930s (C84-4f).

The Holocaust in the Saldos Community

With the German occupation in June 1941, the liquidation of the community began. There are different versions regarding the date when the murders began: one version states that on June 30, 1941, the community leaders and other men were gathered in the synagogue and murdered in a swampy area about 7 km from the city (C84-4f). Another version, based on archival testimony, states that the murders began on July 1 by the local Latvian police (C84-4f, C84-5f). Women and children were later murdered in pits they were forced to dig themselves (C84-5f). Only one Jew who went into hiding managed to survive the massacre (C84-4f). In the 1950s, the bones of the murdered were brought for burial in the old Jewish cemetery, and a tombstone was erected in their memory with an inscription in Russian (C84-1f).

The manuscript of Dr. Zidon

The archive contains a comprehensive manuscript in Russian, which, according to a handwritten note within the documentation, is identified asDr. Zidon's manuscript (C84-11f). The manuscript includes diaries and memoirs from the years 1941–1945, and describes in great detail experiences from service in medical-sanitary units during the war (C84-11f). In another document from the same series (in file C84-11f, p. 11), the name "Dr. Zigdon" (Dr. Zigdon(In the Russian text itself. The manuscript describes journeys on medical trains)Sanpoyezd), working in military hospitals in cities like Vologda (Vologda), Kursk (Kursk) andRostov (Rostov), and meetings with medical personnel and wounded (C84-11f). The author describes in detail the attempts to rescue wounded under shelling and the logistical difficulties of the medical units at the front (C84-11f).

Terms and expressions from the archive

• Sherva Kadisha: A community organization responsible for the care and burial of the dead (C84-3f).
• Linat Tzedek: A Jewish association that provided medical assistance and accommodation to those in need (C84-1f).
• room: Traditional educational institution for children (C84-1f).
• Sanpoised (Sanpoyezd): A military train dedicated to the evacuation and treatment of the wounded (C84-11f).
• R.P.A. (R.P.E.): A term that appears in Dr. Zidon's manuscript in the context of medical units (C84-11f).
• Conductorsky: The surname of Zvi Yehuda, husband of Gina Rabinowitz, who ran the "Children's Home" (C84-6f).

List of sources

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• C84-1f – A historical summary of the community from the beginning of settlement to the restoration of the cemetery
• C84-2f – An official description of the city that includes demographic data, institutions, and geographic and economic information
• C84-3f – A historical overview of the development of the community, religious life, education, and population statistics
• C84-4f – A historical summary in English about the history of the community, the rabbis, and the local economy
• C84-5f – A detailed description of the community institutions, youth movements, and Holocaust events in Saldos
• C84-6f – A collection of articles, obituaries and memorial documents about educator Gina Rabinowitz
• C84-7f – Biographical card and information about the Torah work and writings of Rabbi Moshe Shalom Stoll
• C84-8f – A personal letter in Yiddish from Rabbi Menachem Erlich concerning his literary work Divrei Menachem
• C84-9f – Biographical entry about Avraham Moshe Dilan, his educational activities and literary work
• C84-10-1f – Press clippings and historical reports on events and figures in the Jewish community
• C84-11f – Manuscript and personal diary of Dr. Zidon and Dr. Zigdon from the years 1941–1945
• C84-12f – Detailed Semitic lists of families and survivors from the Jewish community in Saldos

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