1. The Alley of the Righteous among the Nations is a symbol of deep respect to the lasting and eternal memory of those who rose to defend Jews during times of persecution and great tragedy.
2. Twenty six Gentiles from Liepāja have received the honorific distinction of “Righteous Among the Nations”, acknowledging and rewarding human heroism and the victory of good over evil. Each individual (in certain cases posthumously) has received a medal and certificate of honour, their names immortalized in Yad Vashem on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem.
3. In 2014 we marked the 215th anniversary of the founding of the Liepaja Jewish Community, 25 years since its revival and the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Liepaja Jewish Heritage Foundation.
4. The Jewish Survivors of Liepaja, their children and grandchildren as well as members of the Liepaja Jewish Community are aware that the post-World War II revival of Jewish life would not have been possible without the heroic intervention of these courageous Gentiles who risked their own lives and those of their relatives to save Jewish citizens from certain death. Their courage also helped to save, not just lives but the Jewish way of life and traditions.
5. In keeping with the Yad Vashem tradition, the Liepāja Jewish Heritage Foundation and the Liepāja Jewish Community took the decision to create the Alley dedicated to 26 Righteous among the Nations in Šķēde. The Alley was dedicated during the World Reunion of Liepāja (Libau) Jewry on 9 July 2014 in the presence of the Israeli Ambassador to Latvia, other representatives of the Diplomatic corps, officials of the Liepāja City Council and members of the Liepāja public.
6. The Alley is located at small distance of the memorial to Liepāja Jews- Victoms of the Holocaust in Šķēde. twenty six thuyas (blue spruce trees) were planted, each one in honour of one of Liepāja’s Righteous Gentile and each with its own granite stele with the Gentile’s name engraved on it.
7. The awareness of the fine line between life and death which the potential victims and their courageous rescuers trod was the philosophical reason behind the choice of location for the Righteous among the Nations Alley. Leading to the unmarked graves of Holocaust victims, there stand today symbols of hope honouring those courageous people who, despite the risk to their own lives, the lives of their families and sometimes their children, provided rescue and shelter to Liepāja Jews during World War II.