Preilius Holocaust Memorial Memorial site
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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.
Used sources and references:
Melers M. History of the Latvian Jewish community and Holocaust memorials. Riga: Museum "Jews in Latvia", 2013.
Ročko J. It happened in Preiļi.// Holocaust research problems in Latvia (Papers of the Commission of Latvian Historians, volume 23). Riga: Publication of the Latvian Institute of History, 2008.
Bogojavļenska's diary of S. Šeinas Grama (Preiļi, July-August 1941) - a historical and general human testimony of the era.// Problems of Holocaust research in Latvia (Papers of the Commission of Latvian Historians, volume 2). Riga: Publication of the Latvian Institute of History, 2001.
I would like to become something... Diaries of Latvian Jewish girls. 1934-1941. Riga: published by Jumava, 2021.
Vilcāne I. Righteous among nations from Preilim - Vladislavs Vuškāns https://preili.lv/209061/taisnigais-starp-tautam-no-preiliem-vladislavs-vuskans/
Educational programs
The educational program of the Museum of History and Applied Arts of Preiļi "Thinking about the Holocaust means thinking about yourself"
The lesson takes place in two parts. In the 1st lesson of the program, students visit the exhibition "Museum stories for Latvia" of the Museum of History and Applied Art of Preiļi and learn about the history and culture of the Jewish community of Preiļi. By getting acquainted with the diary of Sheina Gram, a Jewish girl from Preili, which she started writing on the day Nazi Germany invaded the USSR, the students form an emotional connection with the tragic reality of the Holocaust in Preili in the summer of 1941. Lesson 2 is a field trip to the Preilii Holocaust Memorial, during which students learn about the Holocaust tragedy, Jewish saviors, and preserving the memory of the victims in Preilii today. The goals of the program are to strengthen the understanding of the events of the Second World War and the Holocaust in Latvia, using local history, as well as to promote the development of a tolerant and compassionate personality. Topics related to the subject of history are discussed in the lessons, such as the events of World War II in Latvia, the Holocaust, Nazism, collaborationism.
The program is available in the "School bags" offer.
