Viesite file / תיק קהילה

📜 Community stories Weissmit: Destruction and Memory in Latvia

These sources document the history of the town. Weissmit (Viesīte) in Latvia, with a special focus on my life The Jewish community which has flourished since its founding in the late 19th century. The documents include Statistical data, business lists and maps that outline the economic and social structure of the settlement, alongside details about Educational and cultural institutions Jews. The sources reveal the political transformations that the region underwent and Anti-Semitism The rising that ultimately led to the destruction of the community. A significant portion of the texts is devoted to describing Holocaust period, starting from the Nazi occupation, through the murder of the Jewish residents in nearby forests, to the attempts at reconstruction and commemoration after the war. In addition, Personal testimonies And memories that give a human face to the tragedy of the town's Jews. This history serves as a hand of remembrance for an entire community. Which was completely erased During the war.

History of the Jewish community in Viesīte

The beginning of the settlement and the development of the Jewish community

The town Weismatte (in the affirmative: Guest; in German: Wessen also Eckengraf) is located in the region Zamgla (Zemgale), historically known as a region Courland (Kurland), in southern Latvia (C43-1f, C43-4f). The settlement was founded in 1890 on the lands of the estate Ekengraf And named after its founder, the German Baron Ekengraf (C43-1f, C43-4f). In 1921 the settlement received the status of a "densely populated place", and in 1925–1926 it was granted the status of a city and its name was changed to its current Latin name (C43-2f, C43-4f). The first Jew to settle there was a man named Wasserman, who was invited by the Baron himself (C43-1f, C43-4f). Over time, other Jews joined him, and on the eve of World War I they constituted the majority of the town's residents, which then numbered 462 people (C43-4f, C43-6). During this period, the community established a synagogue and a cemetery (C43-4f). During World War I, in 1915, the town's Jews, along with the rest of Courland's Jews, were deported by the authorities deep into Russia, and not all of them returned to the area after the war (C43-1f, C43-4f).

Community life, education and culture

After World War I, the community began to recover, and in 1925 there were 152 Jews in the town out of a population of 1,124 (C43-3f, C43-4f). The community had a synagogue in a handsome two-story building (C43-7). In the area of ​​education, a Jewish school was opened in the town, but it had to close shortly after due to the small number of students (C43-1f, C43-7). There was also a Jewish kindergarten, attended by about 25 children (C43-7). The community established various cultural institutions, including a library and a club ("Bialik Club") named after H.N. Bialik (C43-1f, C43-7). In the early 1930s, a young doctor named In Asia Ginzburg, which was highly appreciated by the residents (C43-5f).

Economics and political activity

The economic situation of the Jews of Weismat was described as stable, and many of them were homeowners (C43-1f, C43-4f). In 1935, there were 193 Jews in the town, constituting about 14% of the total population (C43-3f, C43-4f). Despite their relatively small share in the population, Jews owned many businesses; of the 101 shops and businesses in the town that year, a significant proportion were Jewish-owned (C43-4f, C43-6). Among the prominent business owners were Isaacs Zbeiniaks (Izaks Zveinieks), Rosa Greenmanis (Roza Grinmanis) andIsaac Wasermanis (Izaks Vasermanis) who was involved in the leather trade (C43-2f). The community also established a credit union (C43-1f, C43-4f). On the political level, in 1930 three Jewish representatives served on the city council (C43-1f, C43-4f). Some of the city's Jews were active in the Zionist movement and the "Israeli National Fund", and in the elections to the Zionist Congress in 1929, 11 members of the community voted for the Zionist-Socialist Party list (C43-1f, C43-7). However, the community also experienced manifestations of anti-Semitism: in 1926, anti-Semitic riots broke out after two Jewish smugglers were caught, and in the same year the Jewish cemetery was even desecrated (C43-1f, C43-4f).

Prominent figures in the community

• Wasserman: The first Jew in the settlement, who arrived at the invitation of the founder, Baron Eckengraf (C43-1f, C43-4f).
• Dr. Basya Ginsburg: A young doctor who arrived in the town in the early 1930s (C43-5f). She is described as having enjoyed great respect and esteem among the residents (C43-5f). According to specific reports, she was murdered in the Holocaust, and there is hearsay evidence that she was severely tortured before her death (C43-5f).
• Rabbi Kokla: He served as the community's rabbi in the 1930s (C43-7). In 1926 he participated as a delegate in the third national conference of the Jewish National Fund in Latvia (C43-7).

The Holocaust and the destruction of the community

The community's fate is sealed following an agreement Ribbentrop-Molotov From August 1939 (C43-1f, C43-4f). In the summer of 1940 the Red Army entered Latvia and Soviet rule was established (C43-4f, C43-7). On June 22, 1941, with the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union, the town was occupied by the German army about a week later (C43-1f, C43-4f). On July 1, 1941, the Jews were deported from their homes to a nearby camp called Ludani (Ludāni) (C43-4f, C43-7). Shortly afterwards, 5 Jews were taken and murdered (C43-4f, C43-7). On 19 July 1941, the rest of the community were taken to a nearby forest and shot to death (C43-4f, C43-7).

Archival sources reveal details of local cooperation: After the murder, an official meeting of the municipal authorities was held to discuss the distribution of Jewish property (C43-1f, C43-7). The meeting was attended by the mayor, the municipal secretary, members of the Latvian "self-defense" (Isargi) and a Nazi officer named Taunitis (C43-7). It was decided that the sum of 5,609 rubles would be transferred to the fund for the restoration of the city's appearance, and the valuables were divided between various institutions, some were sold and some were given as gifts to the "self-defense" members (C43-7). On the eve of their withdrawal, the Germans set fire to the bodies of the first five murdered (C43-7). After the war, survivors located the murder site and transferred the bodies for Jewish burial in the nearby city cemetery, Yakubpils (C43-1f, C43-4f).

Terms and concepts

• Zemgale: A historical region in southern Latvia, bordering Lithuania (C43-1f).
• Kurland: A historical region in western and southern Latvia, formerly a duchy (C43-4f).
• Aizsargi: A Latvian National Guard organization, some of whose members collaborated with the Nazis in the murder of Jews and the looting of their property (C43-7).
• Ludāni: A site near the town where the Jews were gathered before their extermination (C43-1f, C43-7).

List of sources

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• C43-1f – A historical overview in Hebrew of the town of Weismat, the history of the Jewish community in the settlement and its fate in the Holocaust.
• C43-2f – Administrative, statistical and economic information in Latin about the town of Weismata, including demographic data and a street map.
• C43-3f – A detailed overview in Hebrew of the Jewish community in Weismat, including statistical tables, a description of the institutions, and a list of sources.
• C43-4f – Historical documentation in English about Weismatte, detailing the founding of the town, the life of the Jewish community, and events during the Holocaust.
• C43-5f – A memoir in Russian about the Holocaust period in Latvia, with personal mentions of figures from the town of Weismata.

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