On May 27, the second meeting of members of the Jewish community of Liepaja took place in the restaurant “Oskars” of the hotel “Amrita” within the framework of the project “My Jewish Roots. Revival’. It was devoted to Israeli wineries and the role of wine in religious Jewish rituals. Lecturers I. Ivanova, R. Suharо told about the history of winemaking in Israel, introduced the meeting participants to 5 different wine-growing regions of the country.

E. Kaplan presented several types of kosher wine, shared the insignia of kosher wines and talked about the role of kosher wine in the fulfillment of religious traditions.

At the end of the evening there was a presentation of 6 types of Israeli wine. Wine expert Daiga Veismane conducted a tasting and a master class. The evening ended with a wonderful show – chief Gleb Rogoza, a member of our community, demonstrated how to open a bottle of champagne in the “hussar” way – knocking down the cork with a sword, which caused a storm of applause in his address.

On 31 March the Liepaja Jewish Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the foundation “Uniting” launched a new project for Jewish youth and middle-aged Jews of Liepaja named “MY JEWISH ROOTS. REVIVAL”

For our first meeting, we invited Rabbi Israel Aizensharf and his wife from Riga. He spoke about the history and traditions of Shabbat. The meeting participants learned that Shabbat is met with a Shabbat meal. The woman lights candles, her husband reads Kiddush – a blessing – on Shabbat, Shabbat wine or grape juice is poured, challah is shared amonf all participants of the meals. The whole family sits around the table and celebrates Shabbat – they communicate, eat, sing songs. The Rabbi’s wife, Inna Aizensharf, spoke about the important role a Jewish woman has in preparing for Shabbat and shared her personal experience. The family members and guests sit down at the table in a good mood, forgetting about the problems of everyday life and anxiety. The meal should be the best: fish, meat and various delicacies. Two challahs are necessarily served on the table in memory of the heavenly manna, which G-d gave to the Jews when they returned from Egypt through the desert. On that day, G-d gave the people twice as much heavenly bread. It is believed that during Shabbat, an atmosphere of joy and peace should reign in the house. Our meeting was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere, the youth dstayed together for a long time and decided to continue their acquaintance with the history and traditions of the Jewish people.

We are grateful to the chef of the restaurant “OXO Brasserie” Gleb Rogoza for his delicious meals prepared for our Shabbat dinner.

April 18, 2023 , the monument “She Didn’t Take Off Her Boots” was unveiled

  1. On April 18, 2023, the cast bronze monument “She Didn’t Take Off Her Boots” was unveiled at Caroline and Maurice LeBauer Park in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.
  2. It is the first and only women’s Holocaust memorial in North Carolina and is named after the brave mothers Eva Weiner and Sophia Guralnik, who rescued their children, Shelley Weiner and Raya Kizhnerman, by hiding them in Nazi-occupied Poland for almost two years.
  3. According to the author of the monument, sculptor Victoria Karlin Milstein she was inspired by one of the 12 world-famous photographs of the execution of women, old people and children in Shkeda (Liepaja, Latvia).
  4. The sculptural group presents four Jewish women withsad eyes and a frightened little girl. They had been told to strip to their underwear in the freezing cold. But the older woman in the center would not take off her black boots.
  5. The monument will become a public space in Greensboro so that the public not only remembers the Holocaust, but also has a place for effective Holocaust education. In memory of the dead, the monument will be a powerful statement against the killing of women and children, anti-Semitism, genocide and all kinds of hatred.Itglorifiesthestrengthandresilienceofallwomen.
  6. The Monument “She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots”, the memorial of the December 15th, 1941 Liepāja massacre, is a voice for women and childrenwhich says …. We will put our boots on…. We will resist …. We will be the witness …. Arm in arm… We will build a more just society for all communities.