Holokaust II Maailmasõda

Läti suurim holokaustiohvrite memoriaalansambel asub Liepājas Šķēde liivaluidetes. Memoriaalansambel on pühendatud rohkem kui 3000 Liepāja juudi mälestusele, kes tapeti Teise maailmasõja ajal. See on Iisraeli rahvussümboli menoraa ehk 7-harulise küünlajala kujuline. Memoriaali kontuur, mida on hästi näha linnulennult, on valmistatud lõhutud kivirahnudest ja graniitplokkidest. Menoraa tuled on valmistatud graniitsammastest, millele on raiutud heebrea, inglise, läti ja vene keeles värsid Jeremija nutulauludest.

Riia Geto- ja Läti Holokaustimuuseum asub Riias keskturu ja pearaudteejaama läheduses. Muuseum avati 2010. aastal kohas, kus kunagi asusid linna laod. See on rajatud ajaloolisse linnaosasse, mis piirnes endise juudigetoga. Geto ala on ainulaadne, sest arhitektuuriliselt ei ole see pärast Teist maailmasõda muutunud. See on mälestuspaik juudi rahva tragöödiale. Natsi-Saksamaa poliitika Läti juudi elanikkonna suhtes seisnes 1939. aasta lõpuni selles, et Saksa diplomaadid ja poliitikud üritasid avaldada survet Läti valitsusele juudivastaste meetmete rakendamiseks ja nende vabaduse piiramiseks. Pärast baltisakslaste lahkumist 1939. aastal ei olnud Saksa saatkonnal enam nii head ülevaadet elanikkonna meelsuse ja Lätis toimuva kohta. Kui Punaarmee okupeeris Läti ja hakkas ühiskonnaga manipuleerima, toetas osa juudi elanikkonnast uut okupatsioonivõimu. Pärast seda, kui režiim pöördus terve ühiskonna vastu, langes toetus kiiresti. Ometi oli tekkinud sügav lõhe elanikkonnas, mida püüdis hiljem ära kasutada järgmine okupatsioonirežiim, Natsi-Saksamaa. See lootis, et kohalik elanikkond ahistab ja ründab juute, kuid seda ei juhtunud. Saksamaa töötas välja uue plaani, mis alguses nägi ette Riia geto loomist, aga hiljem hävitas selle elanikud.

Varakļāni juudi kalmistu Kapsētas tänava lõpus.

Varakļāni juudi kalmistul on pärast sõda kaks mälestussammast püstitatud ellujäänud sugulaste ja sugulaste poolt.

Üks neist asub kalmistu piirdeaia lähedal, kus toimus juutide massiline hävitamine. Selle peal olev kiri vene ja jidiši keeles kõlab: "Me leiname igavesti koos oma vanemate, vendade ja õdedega, kes surid 1941. aastal fašistide käe läbi." Teine monument on surnuaia sees; Kohas, kuhu tapetud juudid hiljem ümber maeti, on ka jidiši- ja venekeelne kiri: "Igavene mälestus saksa-fašistliku terrori ohvritest – 4. augustil 1941 julmalt tapetud Varakļāni juutidest".

Natsi-Saksamaa väed sisenesid Varaklani 1941. aastal. Juuli alguses ja esimestest päevadest peale algas juutide piiramine ja üksikud tapmised. Juudi kalmistu lähedale rajati tinglik geto, kuhu kõik juudid pidid kolima. 4. augustil lasi Saksa SD üksus ("Arāja meeskond") kohalike omakaitsejõudude abiga juudi kalmistu territooriumil maha praktiliselt kõik Varakļāni juudid (umbes 540 inimest).

Iga aasta augusti esimesel pühapäeval toimub Varakļāni juudi kalmistul mälestusüritus, mis on pühendatud Varakļānis tapetud juutidele.

Asub Rumbulas Moskava tänava lähedal.

Rumbula on üks suurimaid juutide massilise hävitamise kohti Euroopas. Kahe aktsiooni ajal – 1941. a. 30. novembril ja 8. detsembril, mis realiseerusid natside juhtkonna otsusel Riia getos vangistatud juudid täielikult hävitada, lasti Rumbula metsas maha üle 25 000 inimese, sealhulgas ligikaudu 1000 Saksamaalt küüditatud juuti. 1944. aastal Rumbulas tapeti ka mitusada juudi meest Kaiserwaldi koonduslaagrist.

Esimesed katsed Rumbulas tapetud juutide mälestust jäädvustada pärinevad 60. aastate lõpust. Vaatamata Nõukogude valitsuse piirangutele mõnede juutide initsiatiivil 1963. a. ühele Rumbula männile kinnitati jidišikeelse kirjaga puidust mälestustahvel, Rumbula raudtee äärde (Riia-Moskva liini lähedusse) aga kunstnik Josif Kuzkovskise suur plakat "Juut". Plakatil oli hauast rusikasse surutud mehe kujutis, mis sümboliseerib protesti tehtu vastu. Nii mälestustahvel kui plakat juba 1964. aastal. koristati, kuid juutidel õnnestus saada luba Rumbulasse mälestuskivi püstitamiseks mitte ainult läti- ja venekeelse, vaid ka jidišikeelse kirjaga "Fašismi ohvrid".

aastal 2002 29. novembril avati Rumbulas memoriaalansambel arhitekt Sergejs Riži projekti järgi. Selle loomist toetasid rahaliselt Läti, Iisraeli, USA ja Saksamaa institutsioonid ning eraisikud.

Kiirtee äärde, memoriaali juurde viiva tee äärde on märgiks paigaldatud natsismijõude sümboliseeriv metallkonstruktsioon. Lähedal on kivi seletusega, et seda teed mööda aeti surnuks tuhandeid juute. Mälestusmärgi enda sissepääsu juures on mitmed läti-, inglise-, saksa- ja heebreakeelsete kirjetega kivitahvlid tutvustavad Rumbula tragöödia sündmusi ja mälestussamba rajamise ajalugu. Mälestusmärgi keskosas, Taaveti tähe kujulise väljaku kohal kõrgub seitsmeharuline küünlajalg - menora, mida ümbritsevad kivid, millele on graveeritud Rumbulas tapetud juutide nimed. Endise Riia geto tänavate nimed on raiutud üksikutesse kividesse, millega plats on sillutatud. Mälestusmärgi territooriumil on mitu ühishauda, mille kohad on tähistatud ristkülikukujuliste betoonpiiretega.

The Žanis Lipke memorial is located in Ķīpsala, Riga. The Žanis Lipke Museum is probably one of the most hidden museums in Riga. The obscure location of the memorial is not a coincidence and it has a symbolic meaning. It has been set up in the location of a former underground hideout that was created to save people during the German occupation of World War II. Here Žanis Lipke and his family rescued 55 Jews. Nowadays a memorial has been built next to the Žanis Lipke family house. The memorial ‘Black Shed’ is a symbolic building where shelter was provided and received. The design of the building has been taken from the historical tarred huts of Ķīpsala fishermen and sailors. These huts were built using materials from barges; hence they had a very distinct colour and tar smell. But not only the story of this historic place is unique. The way the museum communicates its message is also quite notable. The overall design has similarities with the Noah’s Ark described in the Bible, and it also resembles a boat that has been pulled ashore and overturned – a boat that has fulfilled its task. The concept of this memorial draws from the historic accuracy of this place and story and the testimonies associated with it. It is a story of a desire for freedom, unbelievable escape and trust. On your way to the museum, you’ll also be able to see the historic buildings of Pārdaugava.

It is located in the premises of the Preiļi Cultural Center.

Preiļi Museum of History and Applied Art (PVLMM) exhibition "Museum stories for Latvia" about the First World War, the War of Independence and the Second World War can be viewed.

The "Story of Drywys" section of the exhibition "Museum Stories for Latvia" (opened in 2018) of the Museum of Preiļi History and Applied Arts is dedicated to the First World War, the War of Independence and the liberation of Latgale, as well as to the knights of the Lāčplešana War Order. The exhibition section "The story of the flag" tells about the difficult events of the Second World War period, during which the people of Preila were affected by deportations, the Holocaust, involvement in the military units of the warring parties, and after the war - in the ranks of national partisans. The "Righteous Among the Nations" medal awarded to Vladislav Vuškānas, the savior of the Jews from Preiliat, can also be viewed.

Upon prior application, a tour is available in Russian and English.

This memorial to the victims of the Holocaust is situated not far from the small borough of Klooga.

The first monument was erected here in 1951, but it essentially praised the Soviet ideology and did little to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. In 1994, the plaques on the monument were replaced with new ones at the request of the Jewish community in Estonia so as to do justice to the victims' ethnic roots. On the 50th anniversary of the mass murder perpetrated in Klooga, a monument to the Jews killed in Estonia from 1941-1944 was unveiled 100 metres from the first monument. In 2005, a third monument was unveiled commemorating the Jews who died or were killed in the concentration camp in Klooga.

The memorial was renovated in 2013 to tie the three monuments together, with the Estonian History Museum opening an outdoor exhibition here entitled ‘Klooga camp and the Holocaust’.

Klooga concentration camp was established by the German regime in September 1943. It was a forced-labour sub-camp of the Vaivara concentration camp complex in Estonia. On 19 September 1944, one of the largest mass murders in German-occupied Estonia was committed: all of the Jews at the camp (around 2000 in total) were killed as the Red Army approached.

It is located in the Preiļu Jewish cemetery on Cēsu street.

The architect of the memorial is Sergejs Rizh. Opened on August 8, 2004. The memorial was built on the initiative and personal funds of Dāvid Zilbermanis (USA), a former resident of Preiļi, engineer and public worker. In 2015, another monument was added to the memorial - an arch installed at the entrance to the cemetery in the form of a symbolic gate.

The memorial is located on the edge of the Preiļi Jewish cemetery, next to the place where around 800 Jews from Preiļi and the surrounding area were killed in the summer of 1941 after the entry of Nazi German troops with the involvement of local collaborators. The diary of Sheina Gram (1926-1941), a Jewish girl from Preiļi, which she started writing on June 22 - the day the war between the USSR and Germany started - until August 8, is a testimony of the events of this time. Sheina, together with her family and other surviving Jews of Preila, was killed next to the Jewish cemetery on August 9. Thanks to the help of Vladislav Vuškānas (1887-1953) from Preili, 6 Jews from Preili managed to survive the German occupation in hiding. On the stones of the monument are engraved entries from Sheina Gram's diary, as well as words of gratitude to the savior of the Jews, Vladislav Vushkan. An urn with the names of the 750 Jews killed here is buried at the foot of the monument.

At the end of 1943, the Nazi German occupation authorities, planning to expand the SS motorised weapons units, started to build a training ground called "Seelager" (Sea Camp) in the vicinity of Dundaga. The inhabitants of the parishes of Dundaga and Arlava were evacuated to set up the training ground. 

In order to build the infrastructure for the camp, several branches of the concentration camp "Kaiserwald" were located in the vicinity of Dundaga, where around 6000 Jews from various European countries (including Latvia) and around 1000 prisoners of war and partisans were imprisoned. Many prisoners died as a result of executions and poor living conditions. Some of the dead were buried in the "Čiekuri" branch camp, which according to some accounts was also the murder site of a group of Jews who were building a narrow-gauge railway towards Mazirbe.

At the beginning of August 1944, after the Soviet invasion of Zemgale, the training ground was liquidated, several thousand untrained SS recruits were sent back to Germany, and the SS motorised brigade Gross was formed from the command, instructors and trained soldiers, named after the commander of the training ground, SS Standard-Sergeant Martin Gross. The Brigade took part in the Battle of Tukums in August 1944, and in the Battles of Iecava and Baldone in September 1944.

After the departure of the SS units, the infrastructure of the training ground was used to accommodate Jews evacuated from Riga and other regions of Latvia, who continued to be used as slave labour.

Misiņkalns nature park is located in the town of Aizpute. Misiņkalns is the highest place in the city of Aizpute. Its height reaches 95.4 m. The top offers a scenic view of the city. Misiņkalns nature park was started to be built in the 20th century. at first. The area of the park is currently about 28 ha.

In the territory of the park there are several places and memorials related to the events of the 20th century - the memorial stele of the soldiers who died in the Latvian Freedom Wars - the cavaliers of the Lāčpleš Order, the place of the Holocaust memorial, the place of remembrance of the repressed and the memorial plaque of the fallen red partisans.

In the park, you can get to know the plants and plantations of various rare species, as well as enjoy the untouched nature. Currently, the park is criss-crossed by renovated walking and cycling paths, and there is a motorcycle track on the territory of the park, where Latvian motocross competitions take place.

In order to get to know the cultural and historical heritage of Misiņkalns manor park more fully, we recommend using the services of a guide.

Nazi troops entered Aizpute in 1941. on June 28. Already at the beginning of July, some Jews were shot in the Dzirkali forest and the city park, while the rest of the Jews of the city and the immediate surroundings were arrested and placed in two city synagogues.

After that, the mass killing of Jews took place during two actions.

Today, a monument with an inscription in Hebrew and Latvian has been installed at the reburial site: "The Jews of Aizpute and other innocent victims of the German Nazis, brutally killed in 1941, are buried here. We will remember forever."

Kaušėnų kaime (Plungės r.) žydų žudynių vietoje įrengtas Kaušėnų Holokausto aukų memorialas. Memorialas yra skirtas II-ojo Pasaulinio karo metais sunaikintai Plungės ir aplinkinių kaimų žydų bendruomenei atminti.

Memorialas įkurtas paskutiniojo Plungės žydo Jakovo Bunkos iniciatyva. Pirmasis paminklas iškilo 1952 m. II Pasaulinio karo aukoms, o 1986-1989 m. įkurtas ir memorialas iš ąžuolinių paminklų žuvusiems žydams pagerbti. 2011 m. įrengta Atminties siena, kuri sumūryta iš 1800 nugriautos Plungės sinagogos plytų, kurių kiekviena skirta nužudytajam atminti, o prie sienos pritvirtintos plokštės su žinomomis 1200 (iš 1800) žydų pavardėmis. Greta memorialo sukurta Gelbėtojų alėja, kurioje ant atskirų vardinių stulpelių surašyti asmenys nacių okupacijos metais Plungėje ir jos apylinkėse gelbėję pasmerktuosius žydus.

1941 m. liepos 12-13 d. Kaušėnų kalnelyje buvo nužudyta ir palaidota apie 1800 Plungės krašto žydų, prieš tai 2 savaites laikytų Plungės sinagogoje žiauriomis sąlygomis. Genocido dieną galintys eiti buvo varomi pėsti 5 km į egzekucijos vietą, kiti buvo  sunkvežimiais vežami atskiromis grupėmis. Aukoms buvo liepta išsikasti sau duobes po ko buvo sušaudomi. Kita grupė turėjo užkasti nužudytus ir iškasti naują duobę sau.

 Memorialas yra įspūdingiausių Europos žydų tautos tragediją atspindinčių memorialų dešimtuke. 

Pakutenių miške (Radviliškio r.),  apie 8 km į pietryčius nuo Šeduvos šalia žvyrkelio yra viena iš 3 Šeduvos žydų holokausto vietų.

Šioje vietoje 1941 m. rugpjūtį buvo nužudyti 27 žydai, įskaitant paskutinį Šeduvos rabiną Mordechajų Dovydą Henkiną. Tuo tarpu kitose dviejose vietose Liaudiškių miške nužudyta dar apie 700 žmonių.

Naciams užėmus Šeduvą 1941 metų birželio 25 dieną, jau liepos pradžioje miestelio žydai prievartos būdu iškeldinti iš savo namų ir išvaryti į gretimą Pavartyčių kaimą, kur buvo įrengtas getas. Rugpjūčio 25-26 dienomis nedidelė dalis jų sušaudyta Pakutenių, likusieji – Liaudiškių miške.

2014-2015 m. Šeduvos žydų memorialinio fondo iniciatyva žudynių vietos buvo sutvarkytos ir pritaikytos lankymui. Pakutenių žydų žudynių vietoje įrengtas skulptoriaus Romo Kvinto paminklas „Šviesos žvaigždės buveinė“.

Šeduvos I ir II holokausto vietos yra Liaudiškių miške (Radviliškio r.),  apie 10 km į pietvakarius nuo Šeduvos. Žvyrkelyje pastatyta lankytino objekto nuoroda.

Pirmoji žydų tautybės žmonių palaikų kapavietė užima mišku apsuptą 375 m² dydžio teritoriją, kurios didesnė dalis išgrįsta akmenimis. Šioje vietoje nužudyta ir užkasta apie 400 žmonių.  Už maždaug 500 m yra antroji kapavietė. Žydų tautybės žmonių palaikai palaidoti 144 m² dydžio teritorijoje. Aikštelės reljefas lygus, didesnė dalis teritorijos taip pat išgrįsta akmenimis. Šioje vietoje nužudyta ir užkasta apie 300 žmonių.

1941 m. šiose vietose buvo nužudyta visa Šeduvos miestelio žydų bendruomenė – beveik 700 žmonių. Prieš tai jie dar mėnesį praleido Pavartyčių kaime įkurtame gete. Rugpjūčio 25-26 d. geto gyventojai buvo išvežti į Liaudiškių mišką. Prie iškastos duobės buvo atvaromi pasmerktieji, kuriuos vokiečių įsakymu nužudė vietiniai policininkai ir baltaraiščiai tarp nužudytųjų buvo 230 vyrų, 275 moteris ir 159 vaikai.

2014-2015 m. Šeduvos žydų memorialinio fondo iniciatyva žudynių vietos buvo sutvarkytos ir pritaikytos lankymui. Žudynių vietose įrengti 2 skulptoriaus Romo Kvinto paminklai: „Durys“ ir „Spindulys-žvaigždė“.

Located in the center of Bauska, near the Bauska Regional Tourist Information Center, Town Hall Square.

The memorial "Synagogue Garden" was created thanks to the initiative of Bauska Jewish descendants in Israel, the USA and Great Britain, donations, and the support of the Bauska Regional Council, Latvian Jewish congregations and communities.

The memorial was designed by sculptor Ģ. Burvis, who is also the author of the V. Plūdonis monument. The memorial was created in the size of the former Great Synagogue of Bauska, the stone figures symbolize Jews coming out of the church after the service. In the center of the memorial is a symbolic bimah, on which is written: “A dedication to the Jews of Bauska, who lived here for centuries and built this city, and who were killed in 1941 by the Nazis and their local assistants. Honoring the memory of the Jewish people – the descendants of the Jews of Bauska and the people of Bauska. In 1935, almost 800 Jews lived in Bauska. After the Nazi occupation in July 1941, many Jews were arrested, deported, and approximately 700 were shot. The Great Synagogue of Bauska was destroyed during World War II.

Dedicated to the residents of Rēzekne district killed during the Nazi occupation. In the Ančupāni Hills, starting in August 1941, Jews from Rēzekne and surrounding villages, supporters of the communist occupation regime, Red Army soldiers, etc. were shot. Among the killed were also 203 residents of the village of Audriņi, Makašēni parish, who were killed on January 3, 1942.

The memorial was opened on July 27, 1974. Its author is landscape architect Alfons Kišķis (1910–1994). The evergreen fir trees on the right side of the road symbolize the people lined up for execution, the stone wall on the opposite side of the road symbolizes the shooters. In the lower part – in the Valley of Suffering – a path covered with boulders leads past the mass graves of the shot people, ending at a concrete wall with the inscription “They died so that you could live”. Further on, there are stairs to the Square of Life, the author of the central sculpture “Mother Apple Tree” of which is the sculptor Rasa Kalniņa-Grīnberga (1936).

Мемориальная доска на территории бывшей Резекненской тюрьмы, открытая в 1965 году. Посвящается тридцати мужчинам из села Аудрини Макашенской волости, публично расстрелянным в этом месте 4 января 1942 года. На пластине выгравированы имена 30 расстрелянных.

Незадолго до этого выяснилось, что в селе Аудрини скрываются сбежавшие военнопленные Красной Армии. В вооруженных столкновениях, возникших при их захвате, погибли 4 сотрудника вспомогательной полиции. Нацистские оккупационные власти в отместку за инцидент приказали убить всех жителей Аудрини и сжечь деревню. Публичная казнь в Резекне была частью кампании мести.

В августе 2004 года на улице Цесу в Прейли был открыт мемориал жертвам Холокоста. Архитектор Сергей Рижс, а автор и финансист идеи – житель США Давидс Зильберманис. Мемориал расположен на территории между могилами еврейских гражданских лиц и расстрелами еврейского населения.

Первые евреи прибыли в Прейли в начале 19 века, когда начал формироваться город Прейли. По данным переписи 1935 года, из 1662 жителей Прейли 847 (51%) были евреями. Большинство из них были купцами, ремесленниками, а также интеллигенцией – врачами и учителями.

Когда немецкая нацистская армия вошла в 1941 г. 28 июля, 9 и 10 августа было уничтожено более 720 евреев Прейли и окрестностей. После войны некоторые евреи вернулись в Прейли, но восстановить общину не удалось.

В 2013 и 2014 годах студенты немецкого молодежного объединения ЛОТ и его лидер Клаус Петер Рекс провели работы по уборке и очистке памятников на кладбище еврейских граждан. Был составлен план кладбища. В 2015 году по инициативе Давида Зильберманиса, на его средства и пожертвования, была открыта мемориальная арка для еврейской общины в Прейлях, у входа на кладбище еврейских граждан, по дороге к мемориалу жертв Холокоста.

В 2018 году общество «Мемориалы Прейлю» (председатель Сергей Рижс) провело раскопки на месте гибели евреев рядом с кладбищем еврейских граждан. Были обнаружены три ямы. После консервации вещественные доказательства можно будет увидеть в основной экспозиции Прейльского музея истории и прикладного искусства на бульваре Райниша, 28. Специалисты музея предлагают посетителям образовательную программу «Думать о Холокосте – значит думать о себе». Программа начинается у музейной экспозиции и заканчивается у Мемориала Холокоста. Мемориал вместе с кладбищем используется в народно-просветительских целях как музей под открытым небом.