Memorial "Synagogue Garden" Memorial site

The memorial is located in the city centre, not far from the Bauska Municipality Tourist Information Centre and Town Hall Square.

It was created thanks to the initiative and donations of the descendants of Bauska Jews living in Israel, the USA and Great Britain, as well as the support of the Bauska Municipality Council and Latvian Jewish congregations and communities. The memorial was designed by sculptor Ģirts Burvis. It is the same size as the former Bauska Great Synagogue, and the stone images symbolise Jews coming out of the place of worship after the service. A symbolic bimah is situated in the centre of the memorial; it is a raised platform or table used in Jewish religious rituals in the synagogue. An inscrip tion on it reads: “A tribute to the Jews of Bauska, who lived here for centuries and built this city, and who were killed by the Nazis and their local helpers in 1941. Honouring 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 and deported, and around 700 Jews were shot. Bauska Great Synagogue was destroyed during World War II