History of the Jewish Community in Liepāja

  1. The earliest records of Jewish presence in Liepāja (Libau) date back to the late 17th century, after the 1625 charter by the Duke of Courland was granted to Liepāja in order to document its privileges and rights. One of the points in the charter stated that “Jews and anti-Christs will not be tolerated here” which implies that the Jews had already become serious competitors of the German citizens of Liepāja.
  2. At that time, Jews were primarily engaged in intermediary trade, peddling, various crafts, distillation of spirits, and running inns.
  3. Civil rights were granted to the Jews of Courland (Kurzeme) after the Duchy of Courland was incorporated into the Russian Empire. In 1799, the Jewish community of Liepāja was officially established. Jews were subjected to double taxation but were exempt from military service.
  4. A Jewish cemetery was established in Liepāja in 1803, and the building of the Chevra Kadisha (burial society) has survived to this day. At the same time, prayer houses and synagogues began to appear, along with schools, charitable and cultural institutions.
  5. The early Jews of Liepāja (Courland Jews) spoke German, while those who immigrated from present-day Russia, Poland, and Lithuania spoke Yiddish. By the 1830s, Jewish schools teaching in Hebrew, Yiddish and German operated in the town, along with yeshivas and evening schools for adults.
  6. The Jewish population of Liepāja grew rapidly: at the early days of the community, only 19 Jewish males resided in the city. By 1881, Jews comprised 22% of the city’s population of about 30,000 people. By 1911, the community numbered 10,308 individuals—about 12% of the total population.
  7. Jews played a vital role in the city’s economy— in major industries, trade, import-export operations, and the hospitality sector. They established banks, credit institutions, and charitable foundations.
  8. With the inauguration of the Libau–Romny railway in 1876, Liepāja became a key seaport and a center of export trade. Jews controlled over 50% of the flax and timber trade, around 40% of all businesses, and owned a quarter of the city’s factories.
  9. After World War I and during the First Latvian Republic, Liepāja’s significance as an industrial and trading hub diminished due to the collapse of transit trade with Russia. Nevertheless, Jews remained prominent in the city’s economic life. With their support, the “Liepāja Bank” and the “Liepāja Commercial Bank” were founded. The Latvian branch of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (Joint) established the “Cooperative Loan and Investment Bank.” Prominent Jewish industrialists united under the “Liepāja Jewish Traders and Industrialists Company.” A Jewish credit society also operated. However, the Ulmanis government’s policy of promoting the ethnic Latvian economy negatively impacted the Jewish community’s prosperity.
  10. Jewish organizations of the time were active in education, charity, religion, and politics. During the 1920s and 1930s, the city was home to Zionist, socialist, and religious parties, as well as sports and cultural societies. After the establishment of the dictatorship in 1934, many Jewish activists were forced into exile. Despite this, Jews continued to play a significant role in the city’s life.
  11. From 1921 onwards, several Jews were elected to the City Council. Relations between Jews and other ethnic groups in Liepāja were characterized by mutual respect. Historically, the city never had segregated Jewish streets or quarters.

The Holocaust in Liepāja

  1.  After Latvia’s annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940, many Jews supported the new regime and took up positions in Communist party and state institutions. At the same time, Jewish-owned businesses were nationalized, and many Jewish organizations were shut down. On June 14, 1941, 162 Jews suspected of disloyalty were deported to Siberia.
  2.  On June 22, 1941, Liepāja’s communists organized a Workers’ Guard, which also included Jews; some perished defending the city. A few hundred Jews managed to evacuate with the retreating Soviet army. When the Wehrmacht occupied Liepāja on June 29, 1941, around 7,000 Jews remained. On that very day, Latvian self-defense forces executed 33 Jews in Rainis Park.
  3.  On July 5, 1941, all Jews were ordered to wear a yellow patch, 10×10 cm in size, and to report daily for forced labor assignments.
  4.  On July 15, 1941, more than 1,500 Jewish men aged 16 to 60 were executed near the lighthouse and fish cannery. All synagogues were destroyed around the same time. The largest mass execution took place from December 15 to 17, 1941, in the Šķēde suburb of Liepāja, where over 3,000 women, children, and elderly Jews were murdered.
  5.  On July 1, 1942, the Liepāja Ghetto was established, housing about 800 Jews. The Judenrat (Jewish council) organized prayer services, a library, and a drama club. Most ghetto residents worked outside the ghetto. Several individuals were executed for smuggling forbidden items or food.
  6.  In autumn 1943, the Judenrat received the news of the ghetto’s liquidation and the forthcoming transfer of its residents to concentration camps. Some people committed suicide, others fled, and about 20–30 managed to hide in the city. The ghetto was officially dissolved on Yom Kippur, October 8, 1943. Its inmates were transported to the Kaiserwald camp in Riga, while 360 Jews deemed unfit for labor were sent to Auschwitz.
  7.  Thus the Jewish community in Liepāja ceased to exist. During the Soviet era, no formal community was re-established; the local survivors of the Holocaust maintained close relationships, met frequently at each other’s homes and celebrated Jewish holidays together.
  8.  The revival of Jewish life in Liepāja began in 1989 with the establishment of the Liepāja branch of the Latvian Jewish Cultural Society (LOEK). The current Jewish religious community of Liepāja was formed in 1991.
  9.  For many years, a school, an ulpan, and hobby clubs operated within the community. In the 1990s and 2000s, the community had 125 members. At that time, the community was led by Vladimir Bahn, Leonid Rozenberg, Naum Vorobeichik, and Ilana Ivanova. Since 2019 the chairperson of the board of the Liepāja Jewish Community has been Anna Petrova.