Daugavpils file (9) / תיק קהילה

📰 Reports and news from the Israeli communities in Russia and Poland

The sources presented are a collection of Advertisements, phone book pages and newspaper clippings Historical, documenting the life of the Jewish community in Latvia, especially in the city Daugavpils (Dvinsk), in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Commercial advertisements reveal a wide range of Businesses and crafts, from furniture and fashion products to appliance repair and furniture manufacturing. Alongside the economic aspect, the Hebrew press sections report on Social issues, educational institutions and community events internal affairs that employed the Jewish public at that time. The documents present the Hebrew and Yiddish language as living languages ​​that were used for both trade and intellectual and religious discourse. Together, these sources provide A panoramic view of the social and economic fabric The rich Jewish community before the great historical changes of the 20th century. All the materials serve as fascinating evidence ofDaily life and cultural vitality of Eastern European Jewry during that time period.

The following is a comprehensive overview of the history of the community and its institutions as reflected in the sources:

Community institutions and public administration

The Jewish community inDvinsk It operated an extensive system of welfare, educational, and religious institutions. The most prominent institutions were:

• Hospital (Bikur Holim): A central institution whose leadership was the focus of public debate (C39-2-3f). In 1872 it is mentioned Zvi Hirsch Janazawicz as someone who acted in the interest of the Mossad (C39-2-3f). Other figures whose names have been linked to its management and support are Yehuda Leib Naaman andAbraham Abba Berkowitz (C39-2-115f, C39-2-5f).
• Talmud Torah: An educational institution that was subject to community supervision (C39-2-105f). In 1886, regulations were published for the management of theTalmud Torah onDinaburg, and it was noted that the institution was founded in 1885 (C39-2-41f, C39-2-90f).
• Charity Company: An association that provided loans to the needy, which held public events such as a "Bar Mitzvah" on Shabbat (C39-2-126f).
• Zion Lovers Association: A branch of the association operated in the city and was engaged in collecting donations for the settlement of Eretz Israel (C39-2-126f).

Religious life and internal disputes

The community inDvinsk It was known for the internal tensions between Hasidim toOpponents.

• In 1889, after the death of the rabbi Arie Liv Yaviza, a serious dispute arose regarding the appointment of a successor to the rabbinical throne (C39-2-85f, C39-2-99f).
• Among the prominent rabbinical figures in the city are Rabbi Meir Simcha (Author of "Or Semach") and the Rabbi Joseph Rozin (known as "Rogachober") (C39-2-85f, C39-2-182f).
• A later source from 1893 mentions the involvement of the rabbi pharisaic From Minsk in an attempt to settle disputes in the community (C39-2-170f).

Economy, Employment and Liberal Professions

Statistical data from the years 1888–1891 indicate a diverse occupational structure among Jews. Dvinsk (C39-2-221f). At that time, there were in the city 826 Jewish craftsmen, including 161 Tailors, 109 Shoemakers and82 Carpenters (C39-2-221f).

Telephone Directory of Dvinsk From 1932 reflects a prominent Jewish presence in the business and medical sectors (C39-1f):

• Commerce and IndustryJewish-owned factories and shops included the soap factory: A. Koriansky (E. Kurjanskij), "The Candy Factory"Alpha"In management M. Jacobson, and the textile warehouse of M.G. Shapiro (C39-1f).
• medicineMany Jewish doctors worked in the city, including: Dr. B. Rosenblum, Dr. P. Fedorov, andDr. L. Libman Who ran a chemical-bacteriological laboratory (C39-1f).
• Services: There was a hotel and club in the city called "Continental" (C39-1f).

Historical events and prominent figures

• Sarah Becker Murder CaseIn 1884, the community was shocked by the murder of a girl named Sarah Becker, an event that was widely reported in the press of the time (C39-2-24f).
• Army Committee: InDvinsk A committee was formed to select representatives for military affairs, and its members included figures such as Dobrovinsky (Dubrovinski) andThe Israeli Fahiya (C39-2-108f, C39-2-195f).
• Avraham Shlomo Kafkewicz: Mentioned as an active figure in the affairs ofTalmud Torah (C39-2-41f).
• Mordechai Ber Gamo: His name appears in the context of financial reports and public activity in the late 19th century (C39-2-221f, C39-2-83f).
• Shlomo Rubinstein: Mentioned as a writer and reporter of city affairs in periodicals (C39-2-170f).

Information from handwritten sources and footnotes

The sources contain handwritten notes that provide further dating and documentation:

• On a page about the bakery Mitrofanov A handwritten note appears: "15.10.92 Dvinsk" (C39-2-105f).
• Another document contains a handwritten note referring to a newspaper article "Recommended"From the date September 2, 1890 (C39-2-115f).
• There is a handwritten note indicating the year. 1894 On reports dealing with the community Dvinsk (C39-2-182f, C39-2-195f).

Terms and concepts from the sources

• Zion lovers: A Jewish movement that worked to promote settlement in the Land of Israel before the establishment of the state (C39-2-126f).
• charity: A traditional community institution for providing non-profit financial assistance (C39-2-126f).
• Talmud Torah: Traditional elementary school for Jewish children (C39-2-105f).
• Teaches: Teacher in a traditional educational institution (C39-2-105f).
• Visiting the sick: A common name for hospitals or medical aid societies in Jewish communities (C39-2-3f).
• customs: In some sources, the reference is to a community tax or levy (C39-2-105f).

List of sources

• C39-1f: A telephone directory of Dvinsk (Daugavpils) from 1932, including a list of subscribers and numerous advertisements for businesses, factories and doctors in the Jewish community.
• C39-2-105f: Documents and regulations regarding the management of the "Talmud Torah" institution in Dvinsk and the arrangements for communal supervision over it at the end of the 19th century.
• C39-2-108f: An article from the newspaper "HaMagid" from 1890 dealing with the activities of the military committee in Dvinsk and the selection of Jewish representatives for recruitment matters.
• C39-2-115f: Reports from the newspaper "HaMelitz" (1890) on the condition of the community institutions in Dvinsk, with emphasis on the management of the "Bikur Cholim" hospital.
• C39-2-126f: A review of the activities of the "Lovers of Zion" association and the "Gemilot Hasadim" institution in Dvinsk since 1889, which includes collecting donations for the settlement of Eretz Israel.
• C39-2-170f: Correspondence and reports from 1893 dealing with internal disputes in the community and attempts by rabbis to mediate to resolve conflicts.
• C39-2-182f: Documentation of community events and statistical data on the life of the Jewish community in Dvinsk and its surroundings in 1894.
• C39-2-195f: A detailed report from 1894 on the budgets of educational, welfare, and religious institutions in Dvinsk and the impact of disputes on their management.
• C39-2-221f: Detailed statistical data on craftsmen, employment, and the structure of the economy among the Jews of Dvinsk between the years 1888–1891.
• C39-2-24f: Press reports from the newspaper "HaMelitz" from 1884 regarding the murder of Sarah Becker in Dvinsk and its impact on the community.
• C39-2-3f: Documents and discussions from 1872 regarding the management and leadership of the Jewish hospital in Dvinsk and the support of benefactors for the institution.
• C39-2-41f: Official regulations and procedures for the establishment and management of the "Talmud Torah" institution for poor children in Dvinsk between the years 1885–1886.
• C39-2-47f: Articles from the newspaper "HaMelitz" (1886) dealing with elections to the community committee and the management arrangements of public institutions.
• C39-2-5f: A historical overview of the institutions of the Dvinsk community, prominent figures, and the archive stamp attributing the source to Estonian and Lithuanian Jewry.
• C39-2-51f: Reports on matters of charity, benevolence, and management of the community budget in Dvinsk from the newspaper "HaMelitz" from 1887.
• C39-2-83f: Administrative and financial reports on the activities of the community in Dvinsk from 1889, signed by Mordechai Ber Gamo.
• C39-2-85f: Documentation of the difficult dispute in the community surrounding the appointment of a successor to the rabbinate after the death of Rabbi Aryeh Leib Yaviza in 1889.

C39-1f

C39-2-105f

C39-2-108f

C39-2-115f

C39-2-126f

C39-2-170f

C39-2-182f

C39-2-195f

C39-2-221f

C39-2-24f

C39-2-3f

C39-2-41f

C39-2-47f

C39-2-5f

C39-2-51f

C39-2-83f

C39-2-85f

**End of Sources Section**

**Return to Communities Table**