Latvia SIG

The Latvia SIG is extremely pleased that Aleksandrs Feigmanis has given us permission to include the text of his important book, Latvian Jewish Intelligentsia, Victims of the Holocaust, on our web site. The complete book with photographs will be distributed free of cost in the schools and universities of Latvia. Aleks tells us that the complete is book is available from him for $70 (USD). Please contact him at: aleksgen@balticgen.com if you are interested in purchasing the book.

LATVIAN JEWISH INTELLIGENTSIA

VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST

Aleksandrs Feigmanis

Preface

This book presents the brief biographies of 77 Latvian Jews who were killed by the Nazis just for being Jews. They were teachers and pupils at gymnasiums, students and professors, architects and doctors, musicians and artists, entrepreneurs and public figures, rabbis, writers and journalists. Among them are those who fought for Latvian independence during the Liberation Fight in 1918-1920 and who restored the Latvian national economy, which was devastated during World War I. They were the pride of Latvian science, education, health services, and culture. They worked honestly and raised their children with integrity. From 1941 to 1945 they were killed in the streets of Riga, Liepaja, and Daugavpils, shot at the edge of common graves at Bikernieku wood, Rumbula, and the Shkede dunes, and murdered in the concentration camps of Kaiserwald, Stuthoff, Buchenwald, and Auschwitz.

This book honors these few special people. It is dedicated to the tens of thousands of other victims of the Nazi terror in Latviato children and the elderly, to men and women. It is said that a person is alive as long as his or her memory is alive. It is also said that a forgotten crime may reoccur. Through the memory of these special people, let us remember and let us insure that the Holocaust tragedy does not ever take place again with any nation anywhere.

The author sincerely thanks the management and employees of a reading hall at the Latvian State History Archives for their help in finding relevant documents. Thanks also to Professor Edward Anders, Marger Westerman, Mark Ioffe, and to Boris Ravdin, PhD, for valuable advice and information.

The publication of the book is made possible through the kind support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France and the French Cultural Centre in Riga, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.

To send your feedback and comments about the book, please, use the following email: levtov@inbox.lv

Abram ABRAMIS

(1871 in Gorodok, Vitebsk Province, 1941 in Riga)

A cantor. Abram Abramis, a cantor (a singer at a public worship in synagogue), took singing lessons from Professor Alberto Toma in Italy and then continued his education in Vienna. His voice was professionally traineda lyrico-dramatic tenor of beautiful timbre. Abram sang in the synagogue in Peitavas Street in Riga from 1912 until his death in 1941. He also directed a male choir of the synagogue.

Sava krāsa varavīksnē. R., 1997. 45. lpp.

Katya ABRAMIS

(1906 in Riga, 1941 in Riga, Rumbula)

A pianist. Abram Abramis's (see above) daughter was a pianist. From childhood she took piano lessons from her teacher Ella Markushevich. In the 1920s Katya left Riga for Paris, where she was Professor Philipp's student; later she graduated from the Russian Conservatory in Paris, having studied with Professor Y.Konis. On return to Riga, she gave private music classes. Once every year Katya gave a concert, performing musical compositions by Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Beethoven, Liszt, Schubert, Vitols and Medins. Chopin's works, such as "Lullaby" and Prelude in C m," were especially dear to her. Critics were unanimously delighted with this performer's talent, taste, and exquisite technique.

Sava krāsa varavīksnē. R., 1997. 45. lpp.

Poruks K. Pianiste Katja Abrāmisa // Jaunākas ziņas. 1936. Nr. 58. 7. lpp.

Юревич В. Концерт К. Абрамис // Сегодня вечером. 1936. № 58. С. 6.

Tatjana BARBAKOFF (stage name)

Given name: Tsipora Edelberg

(1.8. 1899, Hasenpoth, Kurland Province (Aizpute), 6.02.1944 Auschwitz concentration camp)

Character dancer and pantomime actress. Born into the family of Aizick Edelberg, a butcher from Aizpute, and his wife Genya, Tatjana left in 1918 for Germany with a German officer George Waldman, who later took the stage name of Marcel Boisier and became famous as a singer, composer, master of ceremonies, and dancer. Tatjana did not have a formal education in choreography; however, she was very talented at performing character Chinese and Russian dances in cabarets and variety shows in Dusseldorf, Berlin and Frankfurt. Being a charming beauty, she was a muse for artists from the group called "Young Rheinland" Christian Rolf, Otto Pancock, Yupp Rubzamm, Menne Hundt, Gerdt Volheimall portrayed her in their canvases. After Hitler came to power in 1933, Tatjana retreated to France, where she danced on the stage of the theatre "Academy" founded by choreographer Raymond Duncan. At the beginning of World War II Tatjana as a citizen of a hostile state was interned to the camp Gurs and then released in January 1940. She fled from the attacking German troops to Nizza, where she was arrested in January 1944 and imprisoned in the concentration camp Drancy. In February 1944 Tatjana was deported to the concentration camp Auschwitz, where she was killed in a gas chamber. Tatjana's lightness, elegance, readiness to help everybody around her remained in the memory of all people who knew her. In 1986 in Paris her ex-colleague Julia Tardi-Markus instituted Tatjana Barbakoff's Prize" to encourage young talented dancers. Part of an exposition in the Dsseldorf city museum is devoted to Tatjana Barbakoff, displaying her paybills, photos, and stage costumes.

Goebbels G. Tatjana Barbakoff. Dsseldorf, 1991. 31 S.

Zhan BERGMAN

(30.01. 1894 in Riga- 02.08.1944, Riga)

An educator. Zhan Bergman was an educational specialist, a headmaster of Riga Jewish public gymnasium. In 1912 he graduated from Riga City Classical Gymnasium, moving on to Riga Polytechnic Institute. From 1912 to 1914 Zhan was a student in the department of chemistry; from 1914 to 1918 he joined the department of economics as a candidate of commercial science. From 1918 to 1920 he worked as a member of the editorial staff of the newspaper Economic Life in Moscow. Adhering to democratic views, Zhan was close to the party of Constitutional Democrats. He had a good command of 12 languages and from 1920 taught Latin and economic geography in Riga City Jewish Gymnasium, the gymnasium "Ivrit", and Rauhverger's gymnasium. Zhan also lectured on Jewish educational courses and Jewish agricultural courses. He was the head of summer courses for teachers in Riga. Zhan was a member of the National Democratic Party, the main goal of which was development of education among the Jews. In 1941 he was imprisoned in the Riga ghetto along with his wife Clara and children Mikhail (born in 1921), Alexander (born in 1925) and Daniel (born in 1928). Then Zhan was transferred to "Balastdamm," a branch of the Kaiserwald concentration camp. On August 2, 1944 he was sent to be shot in Rumbula, along with nearly all other prisoners. His wife Clara and son Daniel were shot in Rumbula on December 8, 1941. His sons Mikhail and Alexander survived the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps. Alexander Bergman is now a well-known Riga lawyer and heads the Latvian Society of the Jewsformer prisoners of ghetto and concentration camps. He has also written his memoirs.

Бергман А. Записки недочеловека. Рига, 2005. С. 142161.

Beines BERMAN

(29.12.1896- 1941, Riga)

An educator. Beines Berman was an education specialist. From July 1919 to October 1920 he was in the army, a lieutenant of Cesis infantry regiment. He took part in fights with Bolsheviks and was thanked by the commander of the regiment for a successful reconnaissance sortie the night of January 12-13, 1920. After the war Beines taught chemistry in the Jewish gymnasium "Ezra" in Riga.

Mikhail BRAVIN

(?-1941, Riga)

An entertainer. Mikhail was a master of ceremonies, singer, and actor. He was the chairman of the society of variety show actors. He started his stage activities in 1909 in Perm, joining the company of M.T. Sroeyv's Drama Theatre. Possessing a remarkable vocal talent, Mikhail began taking singing classes and was admitted to Giuseppe Gonzales's Italian opera, which toured Russian towns. After two and a half years he settled in Odessa, where he performed in films and variety shows as a comic actor and singer. In 1915 Mikhail took up his residence in Moscow and sang in the best Moscow variety shows, such as "Hermitage," "Aquarium," and "Yar." In November 1918 he arrived in Latvia. Beginning in 1920 he spent his evenings on the stage of the Russian Drama Theatre and after that in the first cabaret in Riga, at the corner of Dzirnavu and Brivibas Street. In 1922 on his initiative the first theatre of miniatures (short screenplays) was opened in Riga. Mikhail liked touring to Latvian towns. For a number of years he was the chairman of the Russian Theatre Society in Riga.

Михаил Бравин 25 лет на сцене в разных амплуа // Сегодня вечером. 1934. № 276. С. 4.

В субботу вечер Михаила Бравина // Сегодня вечером. 1936. № 65. С. 6.

Mikhail Zwick

(4.07.1893, Libau, Kurland province (Liepaja) - 07.1941, Liepaja)

A writer, journalist, and playwright. Mikhail received his literary education in St. Petersburg. On February 25, 1918 he was admitted to the Society of Russian Playwrights and Composers in Moscow. On September 7, 1919 Mikhail volunteered for the Latvian army and served until January 15, 1921. He took part in the battles against Bermont- Avalov's troops near a bridge across the Daugava. In October 1919 he was injured. Mikhail was a member of the Society of Jewish Liberators of Latvia. He wrote for the magazine Dlya vas, for newspapers Segonya and Novosti, and was a frequent contributor of satire (in verse) to the newspaper Russkij Kurjer. For a few years Mikhail lived in Germany where his popular novels were published. After Hitler came to power, Mikhail returned to Liepaja. In the 1920s and 30s he published 32 more novels, 24 of which were written in German, 4 in Latvian, and 4 in Russian. During 20 years of creative literary work Mikhail also published 500 stories, 200 fairy tales for women (some of them published in French magazines) and many verses. His plays (written under the penname of Mikhail Mironov) were staged in St. Petersburg, Nizhnij Novgorod, Vologda, Yaroslavl, Kharbine, Riga and Liepaja. He was compared with Edgar Walles, a famous English author of detective stories, for the ability to tie the knot of a romantic plot skillfully and to keep readers in suspense until the last page.

Cviks M. Apburošais dēkainis. R., 1937. 144 lpp.

Cviks M. Bezbailīgie. R., 1938. 175 lpp.

Cviks M. Laimes pēdās. R., 1937. 112 lpp.

Cviks M. Zem Parīzes debesīm. R., 1937. 120 lpp.

Цвик М. Бесстрашные. Рига, 1938. 110 с.

Цвик М. В поисках счастья. Рига, 1937. 120 с.

Цвик М. Очаровательный проходимец. Рига, 1938. 160 с.

Цвик М. Под небом Парижа. Рига, 1937. 118 с.

Mieczyslaw Centnerszwer

(5.07.1874, Warsaw - 27.03.1944, Warsaw)

A physicist and chemist, a professor at the Riga Polytechnic Institute, the University of Latvia, and the University of Warsaw, Mieczyslaw came from a well-educated family. His grandfather, Yakov Centnerszwer(1798-1880) was an outstanding mathematician and educational specialist, and his father Gabriel (1841- 1917) was a bookseller and Polish-Jewish writer. Mieczyslaw graduated from the gymnasium in Warsaw and from 1891 to 1898 studied chemistry at the University of Leipzig, earning his PhD. In 1898 he was invited to Riga by Professor Paul Valden as a lecturer in chemistry and electrochemistry at Riga Polytechnic Institute. He also taught encyclopedic physics, beginning in 1904, and physical chemistry. In 1919 Mieczyslaw was elected professor of chemistry at the University of Latvia. He was a world class scientist, author of many scientific works in Polish ("The Theory of Ion", in Russian ("Essay on the History of Chemistry"), in German (Radium and Radioactivity"), in Latvian and Russian (" Lectures on Inorganic Chemistry"). His work Practical Introduction to Physical Chemistry was published in Russian, French, Polish and Spanish. The thesis for his doctor's degree was devoted to the catalytic effects of oxidizing phosphorus. All in all, Mieczyslaw authored or coauthored 106 scientific publications, most in the field of chemical kinetics, corrosion, metals and electrolysis. Mieczyslaw took up civic activities, becoming the chairman of the non-party Jewish union "Akhdut." In 1928 he left Riga for Warsaw, where he accepted the chair of physical chemistry. Leaving after many years of teaching, M. Centnerszwer was given the degree of an honorary Doctor of Chemistry by the University of Latvia. In 1928 he was awarded the title of Cavalier of the French Academy of Science (Officier d'Academie Francaise). In 1929 Mieczyslaw was awarded with the Order of Three Stars. World War II interrupted the scientist's research work; he was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto, escaped from there to a suburb of Warsaw to his wife, who was a Baltic German. In 1944 Mieczyslaw was found there and shot.

Centneršvers M. Krustiņsons J. Neorganiskās ķīmijas kurss. R., 19221924. 1.sej. 400 lpp.; 2. sej. 485 lpp.

Центнершвер М. Критическая температура растворов. СПб., 1903.

Центнершвер М. Очерки по истории химии: Популярно-научные лекции. Одесса, 1912. 318 с.

Центнершвер М. Практикум по химии. Рига, 1922. 121 с.

Центнершвер М. Практическое введение в физическую химию и электрохимию. Рига, 1922. 190 с.

Центнершвер М. Химическое сродство и его значение для техники. Пг., 1914.

Outstanding Jewish personalities in Latvia / Text aut. G. Smirin. Riga, 2003. P. 24.

Frida Chernyak

( 12.02.1897, Riga - 1941, Riga)

Physician. In 1914 Frida graduated from Lomonosov's Gymnasium in Riga. From 1916 to 1920 she studied at Petrograd's State Institute of Medical Sciences. After graduating in 1924 from the University of Latvia, Frida worked as a pediatrician in Riga. In 1925 at the first congress of Latvian doctors she presented reports on "Discussion on Doctor Brekoff's Report" and "Active Immunization Against Diphtheria."

Semyon Dubnov

(1860, Mstislavl, Mogilev province - 08.12.1941, Riga)

Historian, publicist, and public figure. Semyon was one of the most outstanding researchers of the Jewish people's past. From 1880 to 1906 he lived in St. Petersburg, Odessa, and Vilnya. In the 1880s he studied the history of the Jewish sectarian movementsFrankism and Sabbatianism. Then he published works on the origin of Hasidism and the history of the Jews in Poland and Russia. In 1900-1901 Semyon published the Textbook of Jewish History in three volumes. During this time he was also teaching history in the department of oriental studies in St. Petersburg. He was one of the founders and leaders of the Jewish Historical and Ethnographic Society in 1908 and became the chairman of the Jewish Literary Society. From 1908 to 1918 Semyon Dubnov was the editor of the magazine Yevreiskaya Starina. He strove for setting up Jewish national schools. After the Kishinev Pogrom (1903) Semyon Dubnov worked toward the establishment of self-defense. He also participated in politics. In 1905 he founded a Jewish section of the National Democratic Party and was a member of "The Union of Achieving Equality for the Jews in Russia." Later Dubnov stepped aside from the NDP and in 1906 founded the Jewish National Party. After 1922 he lived in Kaunas and Berlin. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Semyon moved to Riga, living in Mezhapark, at 76 Mezha Avenue. Here he wrote and published World History of the Jewish People in ten volumes, covering the period from the first mention of the Jews until 1938. After Hitler's troops occupied Riga, Semyon was arrested and sent to a ghetto in September 1941. In December 1941 he was among the column of prisoners heading toward death in Rumbula.

For Dubnov the history of the Jewish people represented the history of the Jewish national spirit. In his early works he is a cosmopolitan, denying any national unity of the Jewish people but admitting their religious unity. However, by the 1890s a sense of nationalism replaced his former cosmopolitanism. According to Dubnov, in spite of the fact that the Jewish lost their territory, state and language, they recognized themselves to be a nation on the basis of their original evolution; they represented a type of cultural and historical or a spiritual nation. Dubnov was in favor of an autonomy that is public, national, and cultural, an autonomy of the Jews that rejected assimilation and political Zionism (though he sympathized with spiritual Zionism).

Dubnovs S. Žīdu vēsture. R., 1935. 1.2. sēj.

Дубнов С. М. История евреев в Европе: В 4 т. Рига, 19361937.

Дубнов С. М. История еврейского народа на Востоке: В 3 т. Рига, 1939.

Дубнов С. М. Книга жизни: Воспоминания и размышления: Материалы для истории моего времени. Т. 13. Рига, 19341935, 1940.

Дубнов С. М. Письма о старом и новом еврействе. СПб, 1907.

Дубнов С. М. Новейшая история еврейского народа. В 3 т. Рига, 19371938.

Outstanding Jewish personalities in Latvia / Text aut. G. Smirin. Riga, 2003. P. 14.

Mikhail Elyashov

(21.04.1900, Riga - 1941, Riga)

A barrister. Mikhail graduated from gymnasium at the Institute of History and Philology in St. Petersburg in 1917. In 1918 he became a student of history and philology at the Universities of St. Petersburg and Derpt. From July 3, 1920 to October 7, 1921 he served at the Latvian army, in 12 Bauska infantry regiment; he fought the Bolsheviks in Latgale. He graduated law school at Heidelberg University in 1927 with the degree of a Doctor of Law. Mikhail passed an exam at the faculty of law at the University of Latvia in 1926. From 1918 to 1940 he cooperated with the magazine Nov in Petrograd and the newspapers Rigasche Rundschau (" Riga Review") and Rizhskoe Slovo in Riga. He was a cofounder of and contributor to the newspaper Segodnya. In 1927 Mikhail was a founder of the tennis club "Riteck" and became a member of its board of directors. In 1928 he was the chairman of the Union of the Jews who participated in the War of Liberation. In 1930 Mikhail became secretary of the commission of barristers who developed a new Latvian criminal code. In 1932 he was a secretary of the first congress of Latvian lawyers. Mikhail founded "The Society of Culture-lovers." In an article published in 1933 he called for defending the Latvian democratic state system and "fighting against nationalistic reaction and communist imperialism which threaten the Latvian state to the greatest extent." After the start of the Nazi occupation Mikhail was appointed the chairman of "Judenrat" (the Jewish council) of the Riga ghetto.

Eljaschew M. Gesetz und Wirtschaft: Veraenderung im Privatrecht // Neues Tageblatt. 1925. Nr. 185.

Eljašovs M. Mūsu kopejais pienākums // Atbrīvotājs: Židu tautības Latvijas atbrīvotaju biedrības almanahs. 1933. 16. 17. lpp.

Эльяшов М. Президент Латвии // Сегодня. 1925. № 250. С. 1.

Эльяшов М. Франко-германская Антанта // Сегодня. 1926. № 213. С. 3

Yakov Jewelsohn

(1902, Priekuln, Kurland province ( Priekule) - 1942, Riga)

A lawyer. Yakov spent his childhood in Riga, and up to the age of 12 he received a traditional Jewish education, studying the Talmud, Jewish history and literature. When Yakov was 13, his father died and the boy had to combine his studies with earnings to provide for himself and his family. Yakov graduated from Lomonosov gymnasium in Riga. From 1921 to 1927 he was a student of law at the University of Latvia and received his doctorate. Yakov worked as an assistant to a barrister, later as a barrister himself in Riga. He was the founder of and a Philistine of the "Hasmoneya," a brotherhood of students. In the autumn of 1942 Yakov made an attempt to escape from the Riga ghetto to Sweden, together with a group of prisoners. He was arrested by the Nazi police of security and killed.

Rafael Feldhun

(1889, Riga - 1941, Riga)

Entrepreneur and patron of the arts. After World War II, Rafael restored production at a textile factory in Zasulauks, where about a thousand workers were employed producing 3 million meters of cloth a year. Rafael was the head of the board of directors of the largest textile enterprise in Latvia, the "Latvian -British Trade and Industry Joint-Stock Society". He supported cultural and public organizations and charities and was one of the most famous philanthropists in Latvia.

Rachel Fridman

(7.12.1887, Riga - 07.1941, Riga)

Surgeon. Rachel graduated from the University of St. Petersburg in 1913 and continued her studies at the University of Bonn. From 1920 to 1940 she was an orthopedic surgeon in Riga. In 1928 Rachel became a member of the Latvian Female Academic Society and remained active until her death. At the beginning of the Nazi occupation she, her husband Hilel Fridman, and their two sons committed suicide.

Israel Fuks

(17.03.1911, Bolshovtsi, Austria-Hungary (Ivano-Frankovsk region, Ukraine) -

-1.06.1942, Braslav, Vitebsk region)

A rabbi, PhD. Israel Fuks graduated from a secondary school in Vienna and from rabbi seminaries in Vienna and Sosnovets (Poland). He was a student of the famous rabbi Joseph Rozin (Rogachever gaon) in Daugavpils and many other prominent rabbis at Vilno, Vienna, Sosnovets and other towns in Poland. After the decease of Rogachever gaon in 1936 Israel Fuks was elected the spiritual leader of Hassids in Daugavpils. At the beginning of the Nazi occupation he was put in prison, later imprisoned in the Daugavpils ghetto. After the start of bloody actions in Daugavpils in the autumn of 1941, religious Jews helped him move to Braslav. Israel Fuks was killed during mass annihilation of prisoners at the local ghetto in Braslav.

Gvido Gerber

(24.11.1924, Riga - 1941, Riga)

An artist. Gvido Gerber had a remarkable talent which was revealed in his early childhood: his paintings made at the age of 9 were published in the Riga edition of the newspaper Europa-Ost in 1934. From 1935 to 1940 he studied at a Jewish Basic School and the gymnasium "Ezra". In 1939 being a gymnasium student he was enrolled in the Latvian Academy of Arts.

Arij Girnun

(16.01.1896, Kupishki, Kovno province (Kupishkis, Lithuania) - 1941, Riga)

An artist. Arij Girnun finished six classes at the gymnasium, then graduated from Blume's arts school. From 1921 to 1930 he studied at the Latvian Academy of Arts and worked at Professor Tilberg's figure painting workshop. Arij Girnun painted portraits of Daugavpils rabbi Joseph Rozin (Rogachever gaon) and rabbi Chaim Brisker as well as scenes from daily Jewish life and landscapes in Jurmala and Baldone. Sunlit beaches and quiet woods were especially appealing to him.

Ausstellung juedischer Kunstler in Riga // Rigasche Judische Rundschau. 1930. 5. Apr.

Hirsh Gitelson, doctor

(28.12.1895, Riga -1941, Riga)

Hirsh Gitelson studied in Riga at F.Herman's non-classical secondary school. In 1921 after graduating from St. Petersburg Institute of Medicine, he continued his studies at the University of Latvia. Hirsh Gitelson received his Doctors degree in 1923 and worked at a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients in Priedaine. He was in charge of the Jewish Society of Health Protection. He died of starvation in a ghetto.

Herman (Chaim) Goldring, doctor

(12.02.1893, Vitebsk - 1941, Riga)

In 1916 Herman Goldring graduated from the University of Kazan. From 1920 to 1941 he worked as a general practitioner in Cesis, Vilani and Riga.

Max (Mendel) Goldring, doctor and surgeon

(12.02.1896, Riga - 1941, Riga)

In 1914 Max Goldring graduated from Riga Alexandrov gymnasium. He entered the University of Kazan and in January 1919 graduated from the school of law. In December of that same year he graduated from the school of medicine. Max Goldring returned to Riga in 1920, and in 1921 he passed an exam at the school of medicine at the University of Latvia. Max worked as a surgeon in Rucava, in Riga City First Hospital, and in the Jewish hospitals "Linat-Gatsedeck" and "Bikur-Holim." From 1925 to 1930 he was an assistant surgeon at Professor Vladimir Mints's. In 1927 Max worked at surgical clinics in Berlin at Professors Borhardtt's and Rozenstein's. From 1929 on he also devoted himself to a private surgical practice and was a participating doctor in a number of hospital mutual insurance programs. From 1937 to 1940 Max Goldring was a leading doctor at L.Peterson's clinic.

Yakov Hoff, entrepreneur and art patron

(30.10.1891, (Fellin, Livonia province (Viljandi, Estonia 07.1941, Riga)

From his youth Yakov Hoff took to entrepreneurship and philanthropy. He owned and managed the largest flax mill in Latvia, L & Y. Hoff 's Company of Linen Manufacture in Jelgava. Yakov was the chairman of the Latvian Society of Trade and Industry. He was a famous patron of art and a philanthropist. He supported activities of a society of low price diners, of Jewish gymnasiums, and of newspapers publishing in Yiddish, like Dos Folk ("People"). Yakov Hoff was arrested in Mezhapark in July 1941 and killed.

Ruven Gurevich, pediatrician and internist

(1881, Harkov - 28.07.1944, Riga)

Pediatrician and internist. Ruven Gurevich graduated from the University of Harkov in 1907. Until 1940 he was a pediatrician and internist in Daugavpils and managed a clinic there. In July 1941 Ruven was imprisoned in the Daugavpils ghetto. On August 3, 1941 the Nazis included him in a group of ghetto prisoners who were sent to be shot in the woods on the outskirts of Daugavpils. On the way Nazi guard recognized the doctor who once had cured his son of a dangerous disease and made up his mind to save him. Carping at the doctor as he marched in the column, the guard continued to carry out the pretense of harassing the doctor. When the marchers and other guards were some distance away, the guard helped Ruven to escape unseen. Ruven witnessed the horror of bloody action and later recalled that some Jews "fought as lions, shielding their wives and children. I saw how dozens of deceived Jews, even injured, bleeding to death, attacked the murderers with bare hands and stones. Ruven found himself at his rescuers farm. From there he was helped to get to Riga for he considered a mass attack in a city to be impossible. Ruven became a prisoner of the Riga ghetto and later the concentration camp Kaiserwald, where during a bloody action he committed suicide by taking poison.

Якуб З.И. В те дни: Из истории Даугавпилсского гетто // Евреи в Даугавпилсе: Исторические очерки. Даугавпилс, 1993. С. 310311.

Alexander Gurvich

(21.03.1911, Riga - 14.04.1942, Riga)

A pianist. Alexander Gurvich was the son of an outstanding violinist and teacher, Yakov Gurvich (see below), who also died in a ghetto. In 1934 Alexander graduated from Latvian Conservatory, Professor P.Shubert's class. He continued to study in Austria and was one of the best students of the famous Viennese virtuoso Emil von Sauer. When Alexander returned to Riga, he gave concerts of musical compositions by Brahms, Schumann, and Bach. The pianist mastered all of Beethoven's sonatas.

Breģe I. Cittautu mūziķi Latvijā, 14011939. R., 2001. 64. lpp.

Yakov Gurvich

(1881 -1943, Riga)

A violinist. Yakov was the father of pianist Alexander Gurvich (see above). Yakov studied in Berlin and Leipzig in classes of instructors Joachim and Hilf. Beginning in 1925 he taught at Riga music school and the Jewish National Conservatory. Yakov Gurvich died in the Riga ghetto.

Walter Hahn

(1911, Vienna -29.06.1941, Liepaja)

A conductor and composer. Walter Hahn was a student of the famous conductor Leo Blech (1871-1958), the chief conductor at Berlin opera until 1937 when the Nazis dismissed him from work for his Jewish origin. Leo Blech came to Riga and worked as the chief conductor at the Latvian national opera. Walter Hahn followed Leo Blech and arrived in Latvia in 1938. He was a musical director at the Jewish theatre in Riga. From 1940 Walter Hahn worked as the chief conductor at Liepaja music theatre. He staged the ballet based on Andersen's play "The Little Match Girl." Walter Hahn was killed on the day when German troops marched into Liepaja.

Vestermanis M., Tā rīkojās vērmahts. Vācu militāristu loma nacistisko okupantu noziegumos Latvijā 1941-1945. R., 1973, 47,48 lpp.

Herman Idelson

( 14.03.1869, Riga - 1944, concentration camp Stuthoff, Poland)

A doctor and psychiatrist. Herman Idelson was a son of a merchant. In 1879-1888 he studied at Riga City gymnasium and from 1888 to 1895 at the University of Derpt ( Yurjev, now Tartu). In 1896 Herman had an internship at a clinic in Heidelberg. In 1897-1898 he continued his education in Berlin, where got his PhD. From 1901 to 1941 Herman worked as a psychiatrist in Riga; in the summer he worked as a doctor in Kemeri. In 1903-1904 he had a practice in Paris. In 1928 he was awarded with the Three Star Order.

Idelsohn H. Ein Beitrag zur Pathologie und Histologie des tabischen Fusses // Deutsche Zeitschrift fuer Nervenheilkunde. 1904. Bd. 27.

Idelsons H. Kam ieteicams ārstēties Ķemeros un kam ne? // Nakotnes Spēks. 1934. Nr. 3.

Idelsons H. Ko sniedz Ķemeri bez sēra un dūņu vannām // Ķemeru Ziņas. 1934. Nr. 10.

Idelsohn H. Lesions musculaires dans la maladie de Parkinson // Revue neurologique. 14 avril 1904.

Idelsohn H. Ueber das Blut und dessen bacterecides Verhalten gegen Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus bei progressiver Paralysie // Arch. f. Psychiatrie. Bd. 31, Heft 3 . год и место издания

Idelsohn H. Ueber postluetische conjugale Nervenkrankheiten // Petersburger medezinische Wochenschrift. 1901. Nr. 43.

Идельсон Г. Кровь и ее влияние на золотистый гроздекок при прогрессивном параличе. Юрьев, 1898. (Дис.).

Идельсон Г. Современное состояние учения об афазии // Неврол. вестн. 1896/97.

Идельсон Г. Целебное значение Кеммерна // Сегодня. 1933. № 151.

Yakov Ioffe

(5.03.1905, Shlock, Livonia province (Sloka) - 1942/43, Riga)

A baritone singer. Yakov Ioffe studied law at the Universities of Latvia and Zurich and singing at the Berlin State Conservatory. In 1934-1935 he sang at the opera in Liepaja for two seasons and performed songs and arias in the Russian, Jewish, and Italian at concerts in the Jewish National House in Liepaja. Yakov Ioffe sang in the Latvian National Opera and Estonian Opera in Tallinn. In 1937 he gave concerts in Moscow. The audiences in Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, Paris and Zurich applauded him. In the Riga ghetto Yakof survived long enough to see the deaths of his wife and daughter, yet he sometimes performed cantor songs addressed to God for prisoners. Some prisoners recalled that his singing came from the very heart.

Kaufmann M. Churbn Lettland: Die Vernichtung der Juden Lettlands. Konstanz, 1999. S. 241.

Zelik Girsh Kalmanovich

(30.10.1881, Goldingen,, Kurland province (Kuldiga) - 1944, concentration camp near Narva, Estonia)

Writer and specialist in Yiddish. Zelik Kalmanovich was also a translator, educator, and philologist. He was born into the family of a glazier. Zelik studied in heder (a Jewish religious primary school) and yeshiva (a school for Orthodox Jewish students where they can train to become rabbis). At the age of 15 he graduated from gymnasium in Liepaja as an external student. From 1902 to 1910 he studied semitology and other sciences in Berlin and Konigsberg. In 1919 Zelik defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Petrograd. In 1906 he began his literary career as a contributor to newspapers in Yiddish and Modern Hebrew and as a contributor of scientific articles in periodicals. Zelik taught Yiddish at courses for teachers in Minsk. At the beginning of the 1920s he settled down in Riga where taught Yiddish in a Jewish school and the edited the newspaper Letste Nais. In 1920 Kalmanovich moved to Vilnius, where he was the head of a Jewish school, an active research worker at YIVO (Jewish Research Institute), and the editor of the Institute's periodical YIVO bletter. At the beginning of the Nazi occupation he was imprisoned in the Vilnius ghetto. On the instruction of "Rozenberg's headquarters" Zelik Kalmanovich took up translating and sorting valuable Jewish books which the Nazis wanted to export to Germany. In 1941 the Ministry of Home Affairs brought up the question of race of the Karaims, a small group of people who, like the Jews, confess Judaism. (They live in the Crimea, Lithuania and Israel.) The Ministry addressed three Jewish scholarsZ. Kalmanovich, M.Balaban, and I.Shiperwith an inquiry about the origin of the Karaims. To save the Karaims from destruction, all three scholars concluded that the origins of the Karaims and the Jews had nothing in common. Zelik Kalmanovich was one of the most significant contributors to the new philology of the Yiddish language. His scientific works are devoted to the variety of the Yiddish language in Kurland, the syntax of this language, and cognates from the Old Hebrew and German languages. Zelik Kalmanovich translated into Yiddish many scientific and literary works, among which are Jewish History by S. M. Dubnov and Judaic War by Joseph Flavius. In the ghetto he kept a diary published in YIVO bletter in Yiddish in 1951.

Kalmanovich Z. Der idisher dialekt in Kurland // Filologishe shriftn (Vilne). 1926.1 bd. (Yiddish).

Kalmanovich Z. Yoman be-geto Vilne. Tel-Aviv, 1977.

Гельцер Ш. Актуальность духовного наследия подвижников еврейской культуры З. Калмановича и Ш. Качергинского // Евреи в меняющемся мире: Материалы 2-й Междунар. конф., Рига, 2527 авг. 1997 г. Рига, 1998. С. 225234.

Wolf Kan

(7.03.1897, Riga - 1941, Riga)

A physician. Wolf Kan graduated from Riga F. Herman's non-classical secondary school, and in 1915 he entered the department of economics of Riga Polytechnic Institute. This choice of high school seems to be influenced by his father, who was a merchant. From 1916 to 1918 he was a student of medicine at the University of Yurjev (now Tartu), and from 1919 to 1922 he studied at the University of Hamburg, where he received his PhD. To earn the right to take up a medical practice in Latvia, Wolf passed an exam in Latvian and was enrolled in the last year of the school of medicine at the University of Latvia. In 1923 he was given the degree of a doctor. In the second half of the 1920s Wolf was on the board of directors of his father's (Zelig Kan's) joint stock company. The enterprise traded in iron and paper. From 1923 to 1941 he worked as a medical practitioner of gynecology (women's diseases and childbirth). On September 29, 1941 Wolf Kan was evicted from his flat and imprisoned in the Riga ghetto.

Arthur (Aron ) Kelman

(28.10.1887, Jelgava - 1944/45, concentration camp Buchenwald)

Public figure and sports organizer. In 1919 Arthur Kelman left Moscow for Riga. In 1920 he was drafted by the Latvian army and served in a line-of-communication commandant's office. Arthur was awarded with a Medal "For Liberation of Latvia", was an honourable member of the Society of Jewish Liberators of Latvia. He worked as an accountant and merchant, taking an active part in public life. In 1925 Arthur Kelman joined the board of directors of the health protection agencies "Bikur-Holim" and OZE (health protection society of the Jews). In 1926 he became the head of a sports organization "Maccaby". In the Riga ghetto Arthur Kelman was a member of the Jewish Service of Order (police), which was simultaneously the main body of an underground Nazi resistance movement. David (Daddy), Arthurs son who was a student of the University of Latvia, died as a hero when Jewish policemen/members of the resistance movement were shot. How Arthur Kelman died is unknown.

Фридман Г. Что с нами случилось: Воспоминани

Latvian Jewish Intelligentsia

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