Zionism in Latvia – History's file / תיק, ציונות בלטביה – היסטוריה

📜 Election Results for the 19th Zionist Congress in Latvia

These sources document the extensive Zionist activity in Latvia during the first half of the 20th century, with a focus on political and social institutions. The collection includes detailed statistical data and handwritten tables presenting the results of elections to Zionist congresses in various cities, alongside candidate lists of parties such as Mizrachi and the workers’ factions. Historical documents and newspaper articles from that period review the development of the "HeHalutz" movement and the ideological debates among the various currents, including the strengthening of the Revisionist movement. In addition, the sources include appeals to the Jewish public to contribute to national funds and assist in the building of the Land of Israel. Group photographs of young pioneers complete the picture and illustrate the practical training in preparation for immigration. These documents constitute vital testimony to the vibrant public life of Latvian Jewry and its deep attachment to the Jewish national vision.

Political Organization and Zionist Movements

In Latvia, several Zionist political currents operated and competed for Jewish votes in the elections to the Zionist Congress. In the elections to the 16th Zionist Congress held in 1929, 19,600 shekels were distributed in Latvia and Estonia (O42-11f, O42-9f). According to the printed protocol of the central election committee in Riga, five main lists competed: the Hitahadut Party (Zionist-Socialists), the Zionist Organization (General Zionists), the Socialist Zionist List (R.Z.), the faction of the Revisionist Zionists, and Mizrachi (O42-9f). In the final results of these elections, as shown in a printed table with handwritten corrections, the Hitahadut list received 2,498 votes in Riga alone (O42-11f).

In August 1935, ahead of the 19th Zionist Congress, seven delegates were elected from Latvia: three from the Labor bloc (Yeruchamiel Vinik, Avraham Ribovski, Arie Golani), two from the General Zionists (Lazar Ettingen, Yehezkel Segal), one from Mizrachi (Mordechai Nurok), and one from the State Party (Nahman Moskovski) (O42-3f).

The movement of the Revisionist Zionists held its founding conference in Latvia and Estonia in 1925 with the participation of Ze’ev Jabotinsky (O42-6f). According to a report in the newspaper "Rassvet," the conference elected a presidium of five members, among them Y. Hoffman and M. Gellerman (O42-6f). In handwriting on a document analyzing the results of the elections to the 18th Congress (1931), it was noted that the total number of voters in Latvia stood at 13,234 (O42-8f).

Youth Movements, Aliyah, and Training

The HeHalutz movement began its activity in Russia in 1917 and spread to Latvia, where the first training farm was established in Altmühle in 1920 (O42-12f). The Hashomer Hatzair movement in Latvia was established in 1922 (O42-12f). Other movements active in the region included Netzah, Gordonia, Betar, and HeHalutz Hatzair (O42-4f, O42-12f).

Between 1924 and 1935, about 6,000 Jews immigrated from Latvia (O42-4f). The HeHalutz movement in Dvinsk (Daugavpils) established the group "Oved" (O42-12f). A personal testimony notes that in 1920 a large group of pioneers from Riga immigrated to the Land of Israel, among them Binyamin Perlman (O42-2f). The source states that immigration from Latvia did not cease even during difficult periods, and there were even pioneers who immigrated without certificates (O42-2f). A handwritten note on a document from 1931 contains data on funds of the Tel Hai Fund and the Keren Hayesod, apparently in connection with financing the activity of the movements (O42-15f).

Education, Language, and Culture

In Riga, an extensive network of Hebrew educational institutions operated, including a Hebrew gymnasium and a network of "modernized heder" schools (O42-2f). According to the testimony of Avraham Itai, in Riga thousands of children studied in schools where the language of instruction was Hebrew, and many of them spoke Hebrew in daily life (O42-2f). At the same time, there was a cultural dispute between supporters of Hebrew and supporters of Yiddish, with the Bund movement leading the anti-Zionist and Yiddishist line (O42-2f). The source also notes that in Riga there was a large library of the "Disseminators of Enlightenment" association, which became an important public library (O42-2f).

Economic Situation and Fundraising

The Jewish community in Latvia engaged in collecting donations for the building of the country. Flyers in Yiddish and Russian called on the Jews of Latvia to contribute to the Jewish National Fund (KKL) on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, emphasizing the national duty of redeeming the land of Palestine (O42-1f). In Riga, large enterprises operated, such as the "Provodnik" rubber factory, which employed thousands of Jewish workers before the First World War (O42-2f). After the war and the revolution, the economic situation in independent Latvia changed, and many Jewish intellectuals and merchants who had maintained ties with Russia were harmed by the economic rupture (O42-2f).

List of Terms

• Shekel (Zionist): An annual membership fee in the Zionist Organization that granted voting rights for the Zionist Congress (O42-11f).
• Certificate: An immigration permit to the Land of Israel issued by the British Mandate authorities (O42-2f).
• Training: Practical and agricultural preparation of pioneers before their immigration to the Land of Israel (O42-12f).
• Modernized heder: A traditional educational institution that underwent modernization and included Hebrew and grammar studies (O42-2f).
• Bund: A socialist, anti-Zionist Jewish workers’ party that advocated cultural autonomy in Yiddish (O42-2f).

List of Sources

• O42-1f : Propaganda flyers in Yiddish and Russian for collecting donations for the Jewish National Fund in Latvia.
• O42-2f : Interview transcript with Avraham Itai and Moshe Ben-Elul on Jewish and Zionist life in Latvia.
• O42-3f : Report on the election results for delegates to the 19th Zionist Congress in Latvia, 1935.
• O42-4f : Encyclopedic entry in English on the history of Zionism in Latvia.
• O42-5f : Newspaper clippings from "Rassvet" (in Russian) from 1924 on the Zionist conference in Riga.
• O42-6f : Article on the founding conference of the Revisionist Zionists in Latvia and Estonia, 1925.
• O42-7f : Handwritten document analyzing financial data and election results of various Zionist currents.
• O42-8f : Detailed printed table of election results for the 18th Zionist Congress by localities in Latvia.
• O42-9f : Official printed protocol of the election committee for the 16th Zionist Congress in Latvia, 1929.
• O42-10f : Handwritten lists of parties, delegates, and election statistics in Latvia.
• O42-11f : Data tables on the distribution of shekels and voting results in the elections for the 16th Congress.
• O42-12f : Group photograph of "HeHalutz" in Dvinsk and a historical overview of youth movements in Latvia.

O42-1f

O42-2f

O42-3f

O42-4f

O42-5f

O42-6f

O42-7f

O42-8f

O42-9f

O42-10f

O42-11f

O42-12f

** end of Zionism in Latvia – History files **

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