Strenci file / תיק קהילה

📜 Chronicles of the Jewish Community in Stranci

These sources describe the history of the town. Strenchy in Latvia, from its establishment in the late 19th century until after World War II. The documents include Statistical data on demography, economy and infrastructure, alongside maps and details on local educational and religious institutions. Special emphasis is placed on The Jewish community The smallest community in the area, which began to develop after World War I and numbered only a few dozen people. The sources document the Holocaust period, from the Soviet and German occupation to the murder of the Jews who failed to escape by the Nazis and local collaborators. Finally, the texts mention the The liberation of the town In 1944 by the Red Army and the discovery of the mass graves of the victims.

The history of the settlement and the beginning of the Jewish community in Stranchy

The town Stranchy (Strenči), known by its German name Stackeln, founded on the banks of the riverGauja In the late 19th century (C78-1-1f, C78-4f). The settlement was established in 1895 and was based on trade inTrees (C78-3f). Flour mills and industries were established there. wool andlinen (C78-1-1f, C78-4f). In 1920 the town was granted independent municipal status, and was part ofLatvia Independent until 1940 (C78-4f). The town is located in the Valka (Valka), in the district Vidzeme (Vidzeme), which was previously called Lappland (C78-1-1f). According to a 1936 statistical publication, city rights were granted to the settlement in February 1928 (C78-2f).

Jews began to settle in Stranchy after World War I (C78-1-1f, C78-4f). In 1925, 35 Jews lived in the town out of a total population of 1,775 (C78-1-1f, C78-3f, C78-4f). Statistical data show that in 1930 the number of Jews was 34, and in 1935 their number had dropped to 27, which constituted less than 2% of the total population (C78-3f, C78-1-1f, C78-4f). However, in the table appearing in the government publication "Pilsētu apraksti" from 1935, it is recorded that the number of Jews was 29 (1.64% of the population) (C78-2f). On one of the documents in the archive appears the entry "352" In manuscript (C78-3f).

Institutions, economy and prominent figures

The city administration was headed by Karlis Šūbers (C78-2f). Among the prominent officials and personalities in the town were the doctor Arvēds Sukurs, who served as the director of the State Psychiatric Hospital ("Vājpātīgo slimnīca"), and the pharmacist Eduards Ostrovskis (C78-2f). In Stranchii there was a primary school with 6 classes, run by Dāvis Melbārdis, as well as a municipal library and a library of the Workers' Association (C78-2f). In the economic field, commercial institutions such as the "Hotel" operated in the town.Riga"In management Maija Brants, managed pension Minna Raudzens, and a number of stores selling food, textiles, and shoes (C78-2f). Various social associations also operated there, including a credit and savings association and a volunteer fire department association founded in 1908 (C78-2f).

Holocaust period

The Holocaust period in the region began following the signing of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact August 1939 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union (C78-1-1f, C78-4f). Following the agreement, The Red Army to Latvia, and in the summer of 1940 it was officially annexed to the Soviet Union (C78-1-1f, C78-4f). The transition to Soviet rule brought about political and economic changes in the place (C78-3f). In early July 1941, shortly after the German attack on the Soviet Union that began on June 22, the town of Stranchy was occupied by German forces (C78-1-1f, C78-4f).

The fate of the Jews of Stranchy was bitter; those of them who did not manage to escape to the interior of Russia before the arrival of the occupying forces, Murdered (C78-1-1f, C78-4f). The murder was committed by the Nazi occupiers with the assistance of Latvian assistants Locals (C78-1-1f, C78-4f). The German occupation lasted until the fall of 1944, when the Red Army liberated the town and regained control of it (C78-1-1f, C78-3f, C78-4f). Upon liberation, the following were discovered at the site: Mass graves of the murder victims (C78-1-1f, C78-4f).

Historical terms and concepts

• Stackeln – The German name of the town of Stranchy (C78-1-1f, C78-3f).
• Gauja – The river on whose banks the town was founded (C78-1-1f, C78-4f).
• Vidzeme – a district in Latvia; sources indicate that it was formerly called Lipland (Lipland) (C78-1-1f).
• Sick child hospital – A mental hospital that operated in the city (C78-2f).

List of sources

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• C78-1-1f – Information in Hebrew about the town of Stackeln, including a historical overview, data on the Jewish community, and a description of the Holocaust period.
• C78-2f – Statistical description, map, and data on the economic and social structure of the town of Stranči from a Latvian publication from 1936.
• C78-3f – Demographic data on the Jewish population in Stranci and a historical overview in Hebrew on the history of the settlement and the fate of the Jews in the Holocaust.
• C78-4f – A historical overview in English from the Beit Hatfutsot Museum about the history of the town of Stranci and the events of the Jewish community during the Holocaust.

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