Skaiste Files / תיק קהילה

📜 The history of the Jewish settlement in Skiesta Shlatavia

These sources document the history of the rural settlement. Skyesta in Latvia, focusing on the fate of the small Jewish community that lived there. At the beginning of the 20th century, the place enjoyed political independence, and in 1930 it was inhabited by 16 Jews, some of whom even owned agricultural land. Following political agreements between Germany and the Soviet Union, the region was annexed To the Soviet regime in 1940, which led to far-reaching changes in the lives of the residents. The situation worsened with The German occupation In the summer of 1941, when the route of retreat to the east was cut off for many of the local Jews, the documentation reveals that those Jews who were unable to escape deep into Russia Brutally murdered by local residents during that summer. These documents, based on testimonies and historical records, serve as Hand of Memory To a community that was completely wiped out during the Holocaust.

The title of Bezalel Cohen's testimony and the information it reveals

According to the sources, the name of the bearer of the testimony is Bezalel Cohen (and not "pro," as the question might have implied), and the title of his testimony as recorded in the archive is: "Testimony of Cohen, Bezalel. P.A." (C85-3f).

The following are the details known from this title and its context in the sources:

• Source identification: The testimony is defined as one of the two main sources for documenting the history of the settlement. Schista, alongside data from the Latvian census of 1930 (C85-3f).
• The symbol "PKA": The title of the testimony includes the initials PKA, which appear immediately after Bezalel Cohen's name, although the source itself does not provide an explicit explanation of the meaning of these initials (C85-3f).
• The importance of testimony: Cohen's testimony is the source of detailed information about the fate of the community during the Holocaust, including the report on the murder of Jews by the Nazis. For local Latvians And the story of the only Jew who managed to temporarily escape but was later murdered (C85-3f).

Beyond mentioning his name and the title of his testimony as a historical authority on events in the settlement, the sources do not provide additional biographical details about Bezalel Cohen's personality or work (C85-3f).

List of sources

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• C85-1f – A Hebrew overview of the settlement of Skista, including demographic data from 1930 and a concise description of the events of the Holocaust and the murder by locals.
• C85-3f – Detailed historical documentation in Hebrew about the community in Skista, including a story about an escape attempt and a list of bibliographical sources such as the testimony of Bezalel Cohen.
• C85-4f – A review in English by the Beit Hatfutsot Museum on the history of the settlement of Skista, the transitions between the various authorities, and the fate of the Jewish community during the Holocaust.

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