29/5/2014 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia: LATVIA MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA Leo Dribins, Armands Gūtmanis, Marģers Vestermanis LATVIA���s JEWISH COMMUNITY: HISTORY, TRAGEDY, REVIVAL Contents Opening Address by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Indulis Bērziņš Leo Dribins THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN LATVIA A Brief Chronological Survey The Ban of the Crusaders The Ban of the Kings The Gate of Piltene The Jews Settle throughout Kurzeme and Zemgale Jewish Refugees Settle in Latgale Judenherberge 18th-century Banishments The Benevolence of Catherine II and Ernst Biron The Kahali of Latgale The Jews and the Latvian Peasants Contrasts between ���Transformation��� and Emancipation The Good Years under the Rule of Alexander II Opposition to the Pogrom Policy Latvian Attitudes Jews During the Revolution of 1905 The Deportation of 1915 http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/ministry/publications/4299/?print=on 1/44 29/5/2014 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia: LATVIA In Exile The Citizens of Independent Latvia Jews in the Latvian War of Independence The Demographic and Sociological Picture of the Latvian Jewish Community The Role of Jews in the Renewal and Development of the National Economy The Structure of Jewish Political Life Jewish Schools Jews in Latvia���s Cultural Life Religious Life The Attack of Anti-Semitism The Attitude of the Authoritarian Government of Kārlis Ulmanis��� Towards the Jews Under the Hammer and Sickle The Holocaust in Latvia The First Stage of the Greatest Criminal Offence The Ghetto Rumbula and Šķēde ��� Hitler���s Will Culprits and Accomplices Under the Second Soviet Occupation The Beginning of the Jewish National Awakening in Latvia The Revival of the Jewish Community The Decisive Days of 1991 Latvia ��� Israel The 1990s ��� on the Road to Integration The Contemporary Jewish Community of Riga The Jewish Community of Latvia Marģers Vestermanis OPPOSITION TO THE HOLOCAUST IN LATVIA Armands Gūtmanis HOLOCAUST EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND REMEMBRANCE ��� LATVIAN PUBLIC POLICY AFTER THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE IN 1991 Latvian Public Policy Education Research Remembrance http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/ministry/publications/4299/?print=on 2/44 29/5/2014 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia: LATVIA Leo Dribins The History of Jews in Latvia in Brief Agreements between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the State of Israel Opening Address by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Indulis Bērziņš Latvia has resolved to support the research of history and an assessment of the past. Equally important are the teaching of history and encourag​ing tolerance among fellow human beings. This book is devoted to the history of the Jewish community. It co​vers the more distant past of the Jewish community in Latvia, its best days in the 1920s and 1930s of independent Latvia, the tragic period of the Holocaust, and finally, the work being done in contemporary Latvia in the field of Holocaust education and research. Research is still needed on the destinies of individuals, countries and nations. Several times the last century has contradicted the majority opin​ion that economic development and respect for the individual increase along with the development of humanity. In the middle of the 20th cen​tury, economic and technological progress that could have been used towards the development of the State and society were instead misused for the achievement of ideological aims. Education and culture are essential in order to overcome prejudice, for learning the lessons of history and for eradicating extremism. Tole​- rance has been a current topic throughout time, as people have been prepared to defend their personal well-being even at the expense of others. Thus, those who rescued the Jews in Latvia during World War II deserve yet another mention: Žanis Lipke, Bruno Rozentāls and many others. The government of Latvia is determined to develop co-operation with the Special Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research to continue public education on these themes. The Ministry of Education and Science plays a special role in this work by co-ordinating the activities of public and non-govern​mental organisations. Under the auspices of the Latvian Commission of Historians, resear​chers in Latvia have initiated successful co-operation with colleagues in the United States, Israel, Germany, Sweden and other countries, thereby proving that they are an active part of the international scientific dia​logue. The work and plans of the Centre for Judaic Studies of the Uni​versity of Latvia, the Institute of the History of Latvia, the museum ���Jews in Latvia���, the Association of Latvian History Teachers and the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia give evidence of extensive educational work in Latvia. In our country we are learning to understand how important it is to know that language, culture, territory and administration alone do not determine the strength of a nation. We believe that collective responsi​bility for the preservation of past experience and teaching it to new gene​rations are also crucial factors. I support the idea and spirit of this book. I am pleased that the group of authors from Latvia, supported by the U.S. Embassy Democracy Com​mission, has succeeded in creating a book of lasting social significance. Indulis Bērziņš Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Leo Dribins THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN LATVIA A BRIEF CHRONOLOGICAL SURVEY http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/ministry/publications/4299/?print=on 3/44 29/5/2014 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia: LATVIA The Ban of the Crusaders The ancient Latvians peoples had no contacts with Jews. A Jewish com​munity might have arisen (as it did in the 14th-century Lithuania), had the invading crusaders allowed this. They did not want representatives of Judaism to appear in lands under their rule. In 1306 (according to other sour​ces ��� in 1309), Sigfried von Feuchtwangen, Master of the German Order, issued a special decree that prohibited their immigration and stay in Livonia. Offenders were threatened with severe punishments. The Han​seatic League, too, did not want the Jews present in the Baltic lands, as they considered them dangerous rivals. However, historical sources show that individual Jewish merchants came to the Land of Māra, as the spi​ritual rulers, the bishops, were not so hostile towards the Jews. A 14th-cen​tury tombstone found near Jelgava and records on deals with a Jewish merchant Jacob in Riga in 1536 give evidence of the arrival of the Jews. It is likely that certain privileged Jews or those who had been granted special authority by the rulers of German lands arrived here from time to time, as the Fede​ration of Livonia was a constituent part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (Heiliger Römisches Reich deutscher Nation). The Ban of the Kings In the 16th century after Livonia had lost the war with Ivan the Terrible of Russia, the laws of the German Order lost their validity. In 1561, by signing the capitulation treaty with Poland and Lithuania, the Order also managed to secure a promise from King Sigismundus II Augustus. The German aristo​cracy was promised that the legal regulations that were favourable to the Jews of Poland and Lithuania would not be valid on the territory of for​mer Livonia. The King proclaimed that Jews would not be allowed to trade, col​lect taxes or customs duties (which they did in Poland and Lithua​nia) in Vid​zeme and Latgale (the Duchy of Pārdaugava), and Kurzeme (Courland). On Janu​ary 14, 1582, by surrendering to King Stephan Bathory, the Ger​man city council of the free city of Riga gained the right to make decisions concerning the arrival of Jews in the city and the length of their stay there. The above regu​la​tions retained their validity after 1621 when Riga surren​dered to Swe​dish King Gustav Adolph. As a part of the privileges that were bestowed to the city, King Gustav Adolph endorsed the former rights of the council. How​ever, by the end of the 16th century, some Jews who were inter​me​di​aries for Li​thua​nian and Polish merchants stayed in Riga for longer periods. They were pro​tégés of Georg Radziwil, ruler of the Duchy of Pārdaugava. For se​ve​ral years the famous Jewish doctor K. Fiedler atten​ded to the health care of Riga aris​tocrats. Opon leaving Riga for Moscow to attend Boris Godu​- nov, he re​ceived a reference letter from the City Coun​cil, which said that dur​ing three years of therapeutic practice in Riga he ���had done no harm to anybody.��� The Gate of Piltene Upon the disintegration of Livonia, Johann von Münchausen, bishop of Kurzeme, started to invite Jewish merchants to his lands in Piltene and Aizpute. He needed rich and active people. The bishop planned to sell his estate to foreign lands, and the areas that were inhabited by Jews could be sold at a higher price. In Central Europe the Jews were con​sidered better taxpayers and initiators of business activity. Upon the divi​sion of Livonia, the territory of Piltene was given over to the jurisdiction of Danish Prince and Duke Magnus. Denmark was rather tolerant to​wards the Jews, and in 1570 they received the right to free entrance in the territory of Piltene to engage in trade and craft, to possess real estate, and to practise their religious rituals. The first Jewish community on the territory of Latvia was developed in Piltene. When Denmark sold Piltene to Poland for 30,000 thalers in 1585, Stephan Bathory granted extensive rights to the Jews in the area and took them under his protection.