The Holocaust II WW2

The largest memorial to Holocaust victims in Latvia is located in Liepāja, in the Šķēde dunes. The memorial is dedicated to the memory of more than 3,000 Liepāja Jews killed during World War II. It is in the form of the Israeli national symbol, a seven-branched candelabra known as the menorah. The contours of the memorial, which are clearly visible from a bird’s eye view, are made of split boulders and granite blocks. The ‘lights’ of the menorah are made of granite pillars with inscriptions of verses from the Lamentations of Jeremiah in Hebrew, English, Latvian and Russian.

The Riga Ghetto and the Latvian Holocaust Museum is located in Riga close to the Riga Central Market and the Riga Central Station. The museum was opened in 2010 on the site where the city's warehouses once were. It is located in the historical part of the city, next to the border of the former Jewish ghetto. The territory of the ghetto is unique, because in terms of architecture it has not changed since World War II. It is a memorial dedicated to the tragedy suffered by the Jewish people. The German policy regarding the Jewish population in Latvia until the end of 1939 was for the German diplomats and politicians to try and pressure the Latvian government to take action against the Jews by restricting their freedom. After the emigration of the Baltic Germans in 1939, the German embassy no longer had as good an access to information on the mood of the population and the events happening in Latvia as before. When the Red Army occupied Latvia, they manipulated the society to gain some support of the Jewish population for the new occupying power. However, after the regime started a crackdown on the society as a whole, the support fell rapidly. As a result of all this, a deep divide had formed between the people. And later on, the next regime – Germany – tried to exploit it. They hoped that the local population would harass and attack the Jews, but that did not happen. So, Germany adjusted their approach and devised a new plan to initially establish a Jewish ghetto and later destroy its inhabitants.

Varakļāni Jewish Cemetery, at the end of Kapsētas Street.

There are two monuments erected in the Varakļāni Jewish cemetery after the war by surviving relatives and relatives.

One of them is located near the cemetery fence, where the mass extermination of Jews took place. The inscription on it in Russian and Yiddish reads: "We will mourn forever with our parents, brothers and sisters who died at the hands of the fascists in 1941." The second monument is inside the cemetery; In the place where the killed Jews were later reburied, there is also an inscription in Yiddish and Russian: "Eternal memory of the victims of the German-fascist terror - the Jews of Varakļāni, brutally killed on August 4, 1941".

Nazi German troops entered Varaklani in 1941. In early July, and from the very first days, the siege and isolated killings of Jews began. A conditional ghetto was established near the Jewish cemetery, to which all Jews had to move. On August 4, a German SD unit (the "Arāja team") shot virtually all Jews in Varakļāni (about 540 people) with the help of local self-defense forces on the territory of the Jewish cemetery.

Every year on the first Sunday of August, a memorial event dedicated to the Jews killed in Varakļāni takes place in the Varakļāni Jewish Cemetery.

Located in Rumbula, near Moskava Street.

Rumbula is one of the largest sites of mass extermination of Jews in Europe. During two actions - 1941. On November 30 and December 8, which were realized based on the Nazi leadership's decision to completely exterminate the Jews imprisoned in the Riga ghetto, more than 25,000 people were shot in the Rumbula forest, including approximately 1,000 Jews deported from Germany. 1944 Several hundred Jewish men from the Kaiserwald concentration camp were also killed in Rumbula.

The first attempts to perpetuate the memory of the Jews killed in Rumbula date back to the end of the 60s. Despite the restrictions of the Soviet government, as a result of the initiative of some Jews in 1963. a wooden commemorative plaque with an inscription in Yiddish was attached to one of Rumbula's pine trees, while a large poster of the artist Josif Kuzkovskis "The Jew" was installed near the Rumbula railway (near the Riga-Moscow line). The poster showed the image of a man rising from the grave with a clenched fist, symbolizing a protest against what had been done. Both the commemorative plaque and the poster already in 1964. were harvested, but the Jews managed to obtain permission to erect a memorial stone in Rumbula with the inscription "Victims of Fascism" not only in Latvian and Russian, but also in Yiddish.

in 2002 On November 29, the memorial ensemble was opened in Rumbula according to the project of architect Sergejs Riž. Its establishment was financially supported by the institutions of Latvia, Israel, the USA and Germany, as well as private individuals.

On the side of the highway, by the road that leads to the memorial, a metal structure symbolizing the forces of Nazism has been installed as a sign. Nearby is a stone with the explanation that thousands of Jews were chased to death along this road. At the entrance to the memorial itself, several stone plaques with inscriptions in Latvian, English, German and Hebrew introduce the events of the Rumbula tragedy and the history of the establishment of the memorial. In the central part of the memorial, above the square, which is made in the shape of the Star of David, rises a seven-branched candlestick - a menorah, surrounded by stones with engraved names of the Jews killed in Rumbula. The names of the streets of the former Riga ghetto are engraved in individual stones with which the square is paved. There are several mass graves on the territory of the memorial, the places of which are marked with rectangular concrete borders.

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.

Holokaustiohvrite memoriaal asub Klooga aleviku vahetus läheduses.

1951. aastal püstitati esimene hauamonument, kuid siis kandis see eelkõige sovetliku ideoloogia sõnumit ega mälestanud holokausti ohvreid. 1994. aastal asendati Eesti juudi kogukonna palvel hauamonumendi mälestustahvlid uutega, millega seati jalule õiglus ohvrite rahvuse osas. Klooga massimõrva 50. aastapäevaks avati olemasolevast hauamonumendist 100 m kaugusel mälestusmärk aastatel 1941–1944 Eestis mõrvatud juutidele. 2005. aastal pandi Kloogale kolmas mälestusmärk, millega meenutatakse Klooga koonduslaagris mõrvatud või surnud juute.

Memoriaali uuendati põhjalikult 2013. aastal, sidudes tervikuks sinna varem eri aegadel püstitatud mälestusmärgid ning avati Eesti Ajaloomuuseumi välinäitus „Klooga laager ja holokaust“.

Klooga koonduslaager asutati Saksa okupatsioonivõimu poolt septembris 1943. Tegemist oli sunnitöölaagriga, mis kuulus Vaivara laagrite süsteemi Eestis. 19. septembril 1944. a toimus Kloogal üks suuremaid massimõrvu Saksa okupatsiooni aegses Eestis, kui Punaarmee lähenedes hukati kõik sel ajal laagris olnud ligi 2000 juuti.

See asub Preiļu juudi kalmistul Cēsu tänaval.

Mälestusmärgi arhitekt on Sergejs Riž. Avatud 8. augustil 2004. aastal. Mälestusmärk ehitati endise Preiļi elaniku, inseneri ja avaliku töölise Dāvid Zilbermanise (USA) initsiatiivil ja isiklikel vahenditel. 2015. aastal lisati memoriaalile veel üks monument - kalmistu sissepääsu juurde paigaldatud kaar sümboolse värava kujul.

Mälestusmärk asub Preiļi juudi kalmistu serval, koha kõrval, kus 1941. aasta suvel tapeti pärast Natsi-Saksamaa vägede sisenemist kohalike kollaborantide osalusel umbes 800 Preiļist ja selle lähiümbrusest pärit juuti. Toonastest sündmustest annab tunnistust Preiļi juudi tüdruku Sheina Grami (1926-1941) päevik, mida ta hakkas kirjutama 22. juunil - päeval, mil algas NSV Liidu ja Saksamaa vaheline sõda - kuni 8. augustini. Sheina koos oma perekonna ja teiste ellujäänud Preila juutidega tapeti juudi kalmistu kõrval 9. augustil. Tänu preilast pärit Vladislavas Vuškānase (1887-1953) abile õnnestus 6 Preila juudil end varjates Saksa okupatsiooni üle elada. Monumendi kividele on graveeritud sissekanded Sheina Grami päevikust, aga ka tänusõnad juutide päästjale Vladislav Vushkanile. Monumendi jalamile on maetud urn 750 siin tapetud juudi nimedega.

1943. aasta lõpus hakkasid natside Saksa okupatsioonivõimud, plaanides laiendada SS-i motoriseeritud relvaüksusi, ehitama Dundaga läheduses väljaõppekohta nimega "Seelager" (merelaager). Dundaga ja Arlava kihelkondade elanikud evakueeriti harjutusvälja rajamiseks. 
Laagri taristu rajamiseks asusid Dundaga läheduses mitmed koonduslaagri "Kaizervalde" filiaalid, kuhu paigutati umbes 6000 juuti erinevatest Euroopa riikidest (sealhulgas Lätist) ning umbes 1000 sõjavangi ja partisani. Paljud vangid surid hukkamiste ja kehvade elutingimuste tõttu. Osa surnutest maeti "Čiekuri" laagrisse, mis mõnede andmete kohaselt oli ka Mazirbe suunas kitsarööpmelist raudteed ehitanud juutide grupi mõrvapaik.
1944. aasta augusti alguses, pärast Nõukogude Liidu sissetungi Zemgalesse, likvideeriti väljaõppekeskus, mitu tuhat väljaõppeta SS-veeretajat saadeti tagasi Saksamaale ning komandost, instruktoritest ja koolitatud sõduritest moodustati SS-mootorbrigaad Gross, mis sai nime väljaõppekeskuse komandöri, SS-standardseersant Martin Grossi järgi. Brigaad osales 1944. aasta augustis Tukumsi lahingus ning 1944. aasta septembris Iecava ja Baldone lahingutes.
Pärast SS-üksuste lahkumist kasutati harjutusvälja infrastruktuuri Riiast ja teistest Läti piirkondadest evakueeritud juutide majutamiseks, keda kasutati jätkuvalt orjatööjõuna.

Misiņkalnsi looduspark asub Aizpute linnas. Misiņkalns on Aizpute linna kõrgeim koht. Selle kõrgus ulatub 95,4 meetrini. Ülevalt avaneb maaliline vaade linnale. Misiņkalnsi loodusparki hakati rajama 20. sajandil. Esiteks. Pargi pindala on hetkel ca 28 ha.

Pargi territooriumil asuvad mitmed 20. sajandi sündmustega seotud kohad ja mälestusmärgid - Läti vabadussõdades langenud sõdurite mälestusstele - Lāčpleši ordu kavalerid, holokausti mälestusmärgi koht, represseeritute mälestuspaik ja langenud partisanide mälestustahvel.

Pargis saab tutvuda erinevate haruldaste liikide taimede ja istandustega ning nautida puutumatut loodust. Praegu läbivad parki renoveeritud kõnni- ja rattateed ning pargi territooriumil on motorada, kus toimuvad Läti motokrossi võistlused.

Misiņkalnsi mõisapargi kultuuri- ja ajaloopärandi põhjalikumaks tundmaõppimiseks soovitame kasutada giidi teenuseid.

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."

A memorial to the victims of the Kaušėnai Holocaust has been installed in the village of Kaušėnai (Plungė district) at the site of the Jewish massacre. The memorial is dedicated to the memory of the Jewish community of Plunge and surrounding villages destroyed during the Second World War.

The memorial was founded on the initiative of the last Jew of Plunge, Jakov Bunka. The first monument was erected in 1952 to the victims of the Second World War, and in 1986-1989 a memorial was built to honor the dead Jews. In 2011, the Memorial Wall was installed, which is made of 1,800 bricks from the demolished Plunge synagogue, each of which is dedicated to the memory of the murdered person, and plaques with the known names of 1,200 (out of 1,800) Jews are attached to the wall. Rescuers' Alley has been created next to the memorial, where individuals who saved condemned Jews in Plunge and its surroundings during the Nazi occupation are listed on separate name columns.

On July 12-13, 1941, about 1,800 Jews from the Plunge region were killed and buried in the Plunge synagogue in brutal conditions. On the day of the genocide, those who could walk were driven to walk 5 km to the place of execution, others were transported by trucks in separate groups. The victims were ordered to dig holes for themselves, after which they were shot. The other group had to bury the dead and dig a new hole for themselves.

The memorial is in the top ten of the most impressive memorials reflecting the tragedy of the European Jewish people.

В Пакутеном лесу (Радвилишский район), примерно в 8 км к юго-востоку от Шедувы, рядом с гравийной дорогой, находится одно из трех мест еврейского Холокоста в Шедуве.

В этом месте в 1941 г. в августе были убиты 27 евреев, в том числе последний раввин Шедувы Мордехай Давид Хенкин. Тем временем еще около 700 человек были убиты в двух других местах Народного леса.

После того, как нацисты оккупировали Шедуву 25 июня 1941 года, в начале июля евреи города были насильно выселены из своих домов и отправлены в соседнюю деревню Павартичай, где было создано гетто. 25-26 августа небольшая часть из них была расстреляна в Пакутении, остальные – в Ляудишском лесу.

2014-2015 гг. По инициативе Еврейского мемориального фонда Шедува места массовых убийств были очищены и сделаны доступными для посетителей. На месте расправы над евреями Пакутения установлен памятник «Swiesas žvaigdas bveinė» работы скульптора Ромо Квинта.

Места холокоста Шедува I и II расположены в Ляудишском лесу (Радвилишский район), примерно в 10 км к юго-западу от Шедувы. Достопримечательность расположена на гравийной дороге.

Первое кладбище останков людей еврейской национальности занимает площадь 375 м², окруженное лесом, большая часть которого вымощена камнями. В этом месте было убито и похоронено около 400 человек. Примерно в 500 м находится второе кладбище. Останки людей еврейской национальности захоронены на площади 144 м². Рельеф участка ровный, большая часть территории также вымощена камнем. В этом месте было убито и похоронено около 300 человек.

в 1941 году в этих местах была убита вся еврейская община Шедувы - почти 700 человек. До этого они еще месяц провели в гетто, созданном в деревне Павартичай. 25-26 августа Жителей гетто вывезли в Народный лес. Возле раскопанной ямы сгоняли осужденных, убитых местными полицейскими и служащими по приказу немцев. Среди убитых было 230 мужчин, 275 женщин и 159 детей.

2014-2015 гг. По инициативе Еврейского мемориального фонда Шедува места массовых убийств были очищены и сделаны доступными для посетителей. Здесь установлены 2 памятника скульптора Романа Квинта: «Дверь» и «Звездный луч».

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.

Veltīts nacistu okupācijas laikā nogalinātajiem Rēzeknes apriņķa iedzīvotājiem. Ančupānu kalnos, sākot no 1941. gada augusta, tika nošauti Rēzeknes un apkārtējo ciemu ebreji, komunistiskās okupācijas režīma atbalstītāji, Sarkanās armijas karavīri u.tml. Nogalināto vidū bija arī 203 Makašēnu pagasta Audriņu ciemata iedzīvotāji, kurus nogalināja 1942. gada 3. janvārī.

Memoriāls atklāts 1974. gada 27. jūlijā. Tā autors ir ainavu arhitekts Alfons Kišķis (1910–1994). Mūžzaļās egles ceļa labajā pusē simbolizē cilvēkus, kuri nostādīti rindā uz nošaušanu, akmens siena ceļa pretējā pusē – šāvējus. Zemākajā daļā – Ciešanu ielejā – gar nošauto cilvēku masu kapiem ved laukakmeņiem klāts ceļš, kas beidzas pie betona sienas ar uzrakstu „Viņi mira, lai dzīvotu tu”. Tālāk seko kāpnes uz Dzīvības laukumu, kura centrālās skupltūras “Māte ābele” autore ir tēlniece Rasa Kalniņa-Grīnberga (1936).

Memoriālā plāksne pie bijušā Rēzeknes cietuma, kas atklāta 1965. gadā. Veltīta trīsdesmit Makašēnu pagasta Audriņu ciema vīriešiem kurus 1942. gada 4. janvārī šajā vietā publiski nošāva. Plāksnē iegravēti nošauto 30 vīriešu uzvārdi.

Neilgi pirms tam atklājās, ka Audriņu ciemā slēpušies izbēguši Sarkanās armijas karagūstekņi. Bruņotās sadursmēs, kas izcēlās viņu gūstīšanas laikā, tika nogalināti 4 palīgpolicijas darbinieki. Nacistu okupācijas varas iestādes, atriebjoties par notikušo, pavēlēja nogalināt visus Audriņu iedzīvotājus un ciemu nodedzināt. Publiskā nāves soda izpilde Rēzeknē bija daļa no atriebības akcijas.

2004. gada augustā Preiļos Cēsu ielā tika atklāts Holokausta upuru memoriāls. Arhitekts Sergejs Rižs, bet idejas autors un finansētājs ASV dzīvojošais novadnieks Dāvids Zilbermanis. Memoriāls atrodas teritorijā starp ebreju pilsoņu kapiem un ebreju iedzīvotāju nošaušanas bedrēm.

 
Pirmie ebreji Preiļos ieradās 19. gadsimta sākumā, kad sāka veidoties Preiļu miests. Pēc 1935. gada tautas skaitīšanas datiem no 1662 Preiļu iedzīvotājiem 847 (51%) bija ebreji. Lielākā daļa no tiem bija tirgotāji, amatnieki, kā arī inteliģence – ārsti un skolotāji.

Ienākot vācu nacistu armijai 1941. g. 28. jūlijā, 9. un 10. augustā tika iznīcināti vairāk nekā 720 Preiļu un tuvākās apkārtnes ebreju. Pēc kara daži ebreji atgriezās Preiļos, taču kopienu atjaunot vairs neizdevās.

 
2013. un 2014. gadā vācu jauniešu biedrības L.O.T. studenti un tās vadītājs Klauss Peters Rekss veica sakopšanas un pieminekļu attīrīšanas darbus ebreju pilsoņu kapsētā. Tika sastādīta kapsētas karte. 2015. gadā pēc Dāvida Zilbermaņa iniciatīvas, ar viņa finansējumu un ziedojumiem tika atklāta piemiņas arka ebreju kopienai Preiļos, pie ieejas ebreju pilsoņu kapsētā, ceļā uz Holokausta upuru memoriālu.

 
2018. gadā biedrība “Preiļu memoriāls” (priekšsēdētājs Sergejs Rižs) veica šurfēšanas darbus ebreju nogalināšanas vietā blakus ebreju pilsoņu kapsētai. Tika atklātas trīs bedru vietas. Materiālās liecības pēc konservācijas apskatāmas Preiļu vēstures un lietišķās mākslas muzeja pamatekspozīcijā Raiņa bulvārī 28. Muzeja speciālisti piedāvā apmeklētājiem izglītojošo programmu “Domāt par holokaustu nozīmē domāt pašam par sevi”. Programma sākas muzeja ekspozīcijā un noslēdzas Holokausta upuru memoriālā. Memoriāls kopā ar kapsētu tiek izmantots sabiedrības izglītošanai kā muzejs zem atklātām debesīm.