Skaistkalne file / תיק קהילה

📜 Chronicles of the Skystaklana Community: Flourishing, Ruin, and Memory

These sources document the history of the Jewish community in the town. Skaitskalaena (known by its Jewish names) Shimberg or Schoenberg) in the Ouka district, Latvia. The collection includes Statistical data On demography and employment, reviews on Religious and spiritual life Led by prominent rabbis such as Rabbi Naftali Herz Klatzkin, and detailed lists of Community institutions and local businesses. Some of the documents deal with the activities of the national and Zionist movement in the town, alongside references to deportation decrees during World War I. The last and tragic chapter of the community is described through testimonies of German invasion In 1941, murders committed with local assistance, and the discovery of Mass graves After the war. In a combination of archival lists, historical press clippings, and memorial pages, the sources immortalize the rich social fabric that was destroyed inholocaust.

History of the community of Skaitskale (Shimberg), Latvia

The settlement Skaitskalaena (Skaistkalne), known in Jewish sources asShimberg (Shimberg) and in German asSchoenberg, located in the district In Osaka (Bauska) in the region Zamgale (Zemgale), historically known as the region Courland (Curland) (C120-1f, C120-4f). The town is located on the banks of the river From a word (Memele), which forms the border between the state of Latvia and Lithuania (C120-3f, C120-5f). Between 1920 and 1940, the settlement was part of independent Latvia (C120-1f).

The beginning of the community and its religious institutions

There is no precise information in the sources regarding the date of the beginning of Jewish settlement in the place, but it is noted that already in the 1840s there was an organized Jewish settlement in the town (C120-1f, C120-4f). The first rabbi began to serve in the town in 1842 (C120-1f). The Šimberg community was considered one of the three "holy communities" in Latvia (C120-1f, C120-4f). Most of the Jews came to the place fromLithuania nearby and brought with them their traditional way of life, which included the activity of Hasidim andOpponents (C120-1f, C120-5f). In 1870, a Jewish cemetery was opened in the settlement on land received from the authorities (C120-3f, C120-5f). The community institutions included a synagogue, a mikveh, and an elementary school where the language of instruction was Yiddish (C120-4f).

Prominent figures: Rabbi Naftali Herz Klatzkin

The most central and influential figure in the history of the community was Rabbi Naftali Herz Klatzkin (Naftali Hertz Klatzkin), who served from 1857–1894 (C120-1f, C120-4f). Rabbi Klatzkin, who was born in Dvinsk to a distinguished rabbinical family, studied in the yeshivots of Mozyr and Vilna and was ordained to teach by the great men of his generation (C120-5f, C120-6f). During his tenure, a Beit Midrash (C120-1f, C120-4f). The rabbi was known for his custom of visiting the small settlements in the surrounding area during the winter months to teach the Torah to the local Jews, visits which the residents called "the "Calanda" (C120-1f, C120-5f). His influence was so great that the days of his visits were engraved in the memory of the residents as a kind of holiday (C120-5f). Rabbi Klatzkin had seven sons, all of whom became renowned scholars, among whom was Rabbi Eliyahu Klatzkin, who served as a rabbi in Lublin and later immigrated to Israel (C120-5f).

Economy and community life

The livelihood of the Jews of Shimberg was based on trade and crafts, and most of the shops in the town were Jewish-owned (C120-1f, C120-3f). Jews played a crucial role inFairs which were held there nine times a year, with the collection of customs duties from the fair being entrusted to a number of Jews (C120-1f, C120-4f, C120-5f). A particularly large fair was held annually in August (C120-4f, C120-5f). Statistical documents from 1935 list many Jewish business owners, including Movshas Bochura (Movšas Bočura) andAvraham Belcher (Abrama Blechera) who were engaged in the trade in leather and shoes (C120-2f).

The effects of the world wars and the interwar period

during World War IIn 1915, the Jews were deported by the Russian authorities deep into Russia (C120-1f, C120-4f). When they returned after the war, they found their homes destroyed or taken over by local residents (C120-1f, C120-3f). With the help of theJoint A Joint Credit and Savings Fund was established for the rehabilitation of refugees (C120-1f, C120-4f). In 1928, he was appointed Rabbi Ephraim Reznik (Efraim Reznik) to the community rabbi (C120-1f, C120-3f). Zionist activity in the town was extensive and included a branch of the Zionist movement. "The Pioneer" which opened in 1921 and a group of young people from the "Youth of Zion" (C120-1f, C120-3f).

Holocaust of the Jews of Shimberg

The Holocaust period began with the annexation of Latvia to the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940 following an agreement Ribbentrop-Molotov (C120-1f, C120-3f). On June 22, 1941, with the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Skaitskala was occupied (C120-1f). Immediately upon the arrival of the Germans, one Jew was shot, Korman Israel, which was previously used asKomsorg (C120-7f). The Jews, who numbered between 100 and 120, were deported to isolated farms outside the town and after two weeks were brought to a home for the disabled on the outskirts of the town under the guard of the Latvian police (C120-7f). They were told to pack essential items supposedly for "resettlement in Poland" (C120-7f).

The Jews were taken by trucks to a forest about 20 km from the town, to an area that was used as a shooting range for theEyeglasses (C120-7f). The truck driver, Vidzis, refused to continue the journey when he learned its purpose, and was replaced by another driver (C120-7f). At the scene of the murder, the Jews were ordered to undress (C120-7f). Local residents originally referred to as "Tutsamans", who were old acquaintances of the Jews, were initially hesitant to shoot them (C120-7f). To encourage them, vodka was brought to the scene and they were kept drunk until they dared to carry out the massacre (C120-7f). After the war, a mass grave was discovered in the forest near the settlement where the bodies were buried (C120-1f, C120-3f).

Terms and concepts from the sources

• Komsorg: An instructor or activist in the communist youth movement in the Soviet Union (C120-7f).
• Aizsargi: A Latvian nationalist paramilitary organization known as the "Protectors' Organization" (C120-7f).
• Tutzmani: A nickname that originally appeared in Russian to describe local residents (C120-7f).
• Kalanda: A popular term for the rabbi's teaching visits to surrounding communities (C120-5f).
• The Joint: The United Relief Committee of American Jews helped to rebuild the community (C120-4f).

List of sources

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• C120-1f – A historical overview of the history of the Skaitskalna (Schimberg) community, including information on religious institutions, the economy, Zionist activity, and a chapter on the Holocaust.
• C120-2f – Statistical data and lists of property owners, shops and businesses in the settlement of Skaitskalan from an official publication from 1936.
• C120-3f – A detailed historical overview that includes a Jewish demographic table, the history of the local rabbinate, and a description of the discovery of the mass grave after the war.
• C120-4f – Information sheets from the Beit Hatfutsot Museum that review in English the history of the Jewish community in Shimberg, its institutions and its economic rehabilitation.
• C120-5f – An extensive description from a memoir about religious life in the community, the figure and work of Rabbi Naftali Hertz Klatzkin, and a list of prominent figures in the settlement.
• C120-6f – Excerpts from the book "The Generation of His Rabbis and Writers" which include a biography of Rabbi Naftali Klatzkin and details about his education and family.
• C120-7f – Detailed testimony in Russian about the first days of the German invasion, the concentration of Jews in the home for the disabled, and the execution of the massacre in the forest by the Latvian police.
• C120-8-1f – Historical newspaper clippings from 1884 dealing with the situation of the community in Shimberg, economic difficulties, and reports on local events.

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