Berzpils file / תיק קהילה

These sources document the history of the Jewish community in the village.BraspilsIn Latvia, from its heyday to its tragic destructionThe HolocaustStatistical data and historical documentation indicate that in the 1930s the community had dozens of residents who were mainly engaged inIn tradeand maintained an active religious and community life. Government and archival documents detail theDemographic changesand the economic structure of the settlement over the years. With the outbreak of World War II and the occupation of the area byGerman ArmyIn 1941, the Jewish settlement in the village came to an end. The sources painfully conclude that the Jews who remained in the villageMurderedUnder circumstances that are not fully known, as part of the total extermination of Latvian Jewry.

Despite the request to deal with the history of Estonian Jewry, the attached sources focus exclusively on the history of the Jewish community in the town.Braspils(Berzpils), also known by its Russian nameDompola(Dompole), located in the districtAvernae(Abrene) in the regionTo Italy(Latgale),Latvia(C21-1f, C21-3f, C21-4f). The following is a detailed historical overview of the community as reflected in the archival documents:

Geographic and demographic background

The townBraspilsIt served as an agricultural center and between 1920 and 1940 was part ofIndependent Latvia(C21-1f, C21-4f). According to the estimate in the printed text, the village probably developed around the center of the estate.Domopula(C21-2f).

The development of the Jewish population in the area experienced significant fluctuations:

• In 1925 they lived in and around Braspils75 Jews(C21-1f, C21-3f, C21-4f).
• In 1930, the community reached its peak in size and number.95 people(C21-1f, C21-3f, C21-4f).
• During the 1930s, Jews began to leave the village, and by 1935 the community had shrunk to30 Jewish residentsOnly (C21-1f, C21-3f, C21-4f).
• The 1935 census data, which appears in the original printed in Latvian (C21-2f), indicates that out of 173 residents, 30 were Jews (17.34%), who lived in5 separate families(C21-2f).

Community life and the economy

Most of the community's Jews made a living fromtrade(C21-1f, C21-4f). The printed information indicates that until 1928 there wasMinyanRegularly praying at her houseThe Gordon family(C21-1f, C21-3f, C21-4f). Also, operate in the townJewish pharmacist(C21-1f, C21-4f).

The Latvian source (C21-2f) lists the names of business owners and positions in the town in 1935, among which names with Jewish affiliations can be identified:

• Haims Skuja(Haim Sequoya) is listed as the owner of the pharmacy (C21-2f).
• In the field of trade in food products and colonial goods, the following are registered:Dibas Icons,Minnas Gutmanis,Bless you Gavarina,Sonas-Tircas SvalbesandKazimira Mezajeva(C21-2f).
• Alina-Emilia MezhajevaListed as owner of a wine store (C21-2f).
• Kazimirs MežajevsManaged a collection point for linen (C21-2f).

Note regarding the manuscript: On the printed original (C21-3f) appears a handwritten note with the word "repair?"Near the name of the settlement, and the registration also appears"019/1k" (C21-3f). Another source includes a stamp of "Nachum Goldman Museum for the Diaspora"and manually recording the number"21-4" within a circle (C21-4f).

Holocaust period

The fate of the community was directly influenced by international political events:

1. FollowingRibbentrop-Molotov PactSigned in August 1939, Latvia was annexed to the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940 (C21-1f, C21-4f).
2. on-June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union, and shortly thereafter German military forces occupied the region (C21-1f, C21-4f). One source indicates that the occupation occurred in late June or early July 1941 (C21-3f).
3. The Jews who remained in the area after the occupationMurdered during the summer of 1941(C21-1f, C21-4f).
4. According to printed sources,The circumstances of the murder are unknown.(C21-1f, C21-4f). Another source indicates that the murder was carried out as part of the general extermination of Latvian Jewry (C21-3f).

List of sources