What images do you
think about when I say July Fourth? Fireworks, picnics, summer evenings with
fireflies, even freedom and independence come to mind. Those used to be my images,
and still are if I concentrate. But for the past many years July Fourth calls to
mind July 4, 1941 when the grand Gogol Synagogue in Riga, Latvia was set on fire with
several hundred Jews inside. There were 300 Lithuanian Jews fleeing north from the
Nazi troops. They were herded inside the synagogue along with a similar number of
Latvian Jews rounded up by their neighbors. The doors were barricaded, kerosene was
poured around the building and the synagogue burned to the ground. All told,
sixty-four synagogues in Riga were destroyed at that time, leaving only one synagogue
remaining in the entire city. It was spared only because of its location next to a
church and there was concern the fire might spread to the surrounding buildings.
Today it is an active synagogue, still the only one in Riga. Since a 1999 bombing, a
permanent mini police station sits in front as a deterrent to future acts of vandalism.
This year Riga
commemorates its 800th year of existence and members of the Jewish Survivors of
Latvia wanted to be part of the observance, to make others aware that Jews have had a
presence in Riga since at least 1536. Riga and St. Louis became Jewish sister cities
in 1990 under the auspices of the Jewish Community Relations Council. It was a
concerted effort to twin American cities with comparable Soviet Union cities to accentuate
the fact that Jews were trapped in the USSR, not allowed to openly practice Judaism, not
allowed to emigrate, often not allowed to work in their chosen professions. St.
Louis has been there from the beginning when the Soviet Union disintegrated and the Baltic
countries, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, were the first republics to declare
independence. It was an uneasy time in Riga. Lenin’s statute was toppled,
but would Soviet tanks roll in and try to recapture Latvia? Latvia was independent
between the two world wars; now freedom was in the air again and this time Latvia
prevailed. In 1992 the first independent government was formed. Many of the
legislators, government ministers, and today, even the President of Latvia, are
individuals either born in North America or raised there. They understand democratic
principles.
It was only when
Latvia became independent that the Jewish Survivors of Latvia felt they could return to
confront the demons of the past. As much as they loathed the Nazis, the Russians
were exceedingly cruel at the end of the war. As Holocaust survivors wandered sick and
dazed following liberation, they were captured and maltreated by Russians, who were angry
that Jews had managed to survive. As long as Russians controlled Latvia, the
survivors refused to return to their native land. Now, in the dawn of a new age,
Jews return to Riga, rising out of the ashes of the Holocaust to proclaim victory over
tyranny, sadism, and wanton killing. These few survivors came to announce their
triumph over hatred and brutality; they came to say kaddish for their parents, siblings,
and other relatives who were murdered; they came to show their children their roots so
they could better understand; and they came to witness their children praying in the
synagogue, a final testimony to the strength of the survivors and their steadfastness of
purpose.
This June was our
third trip to Latvia. While each trip focused on Holocaust remembrance issues and
the viability of the Jewish community, this recent visit was much more poignant because
the survivors see they are aging and they desperately want to remain connected to their
past, they want to share their memories and they want to assure continuity while they are
still physically able to do so.
Latvia currently
has a population of 2� million people. During the time of the First Latvian
Republic (1918-1940) there were 100,000 Jews in Latvia, mainly in Riga. At the time
of the Second Republic starting in 1992 there were 26,000 Jews. Today there are
between 12,000 and 15,000 Jews. The decline is explained by two factors: Much
of the population is aging, and many young people are moving to Israel, although that rate
has slowed recently.
On each trip we
reached out to the entire Latvian community, meeting with members of the legislature,
foreign ministers, health and education ministers, and on the second visit a televised
meeting with the then prime minister. The main objective is to protect and promote
the viability of the Jewish community: A strong and secure Jewish community will
also benefit the entire country. Our multi-million dollar USAID medical grant helped
the Jewish Bicur Holim hospital as well as the Children’s and Maternity hospitals in
Riga.
This recent trip was very
high profile. Not only did the President of Latvia, Vaira Vike-Freiberga invite our
group to luncheon at the President’s residence, she and her family and other
government officials also attended the official opening of the survivors’ reunion
held at the Jewish Community Center. In addition, our group was invited to a
reception at the residence of James Holmes, the U.S. Ambassador to Latvia. The
invitation to the ambassador’s home also included Rabbi Barkan, spiritual leader at
the synagogue, Dr. Arkady Ganz head of the Jewish hospital, Hanna Finkelstein, head of the
Jewish Community Center, and Grigory Krupnikov, president of the Jewish Community of
Riga. Helping the local Jewish leadership maintain important contacts provides a
stabilizing influence and bolsters confidence in the work they do against tremendous odds.
These were a busy
eight days. We spent one afternoon at the Community Center where the JCC members
prepared lunch for over 200 people. The older-adult choir performed for us.
They sang their hearts out to us with such joy and enthusiasm. Then we were
entertained by beautiful, young Jewish dancers, so talented, and so full of energy.
There is a real effort to connect everyone, young and old, with Jewish traditions and to
offer meaningful activities in addition to providing meals and basic medicine.
On Saturday
morning members of the group went to Shabbos services. It was an amazing sight to
behold the sons of Holocaust survivors davening at the bima. In the dark years of
the war, could these men possibly have imagined that they would have adult sons
accompanying them to Riga and leading morning prayers? There was a great deal of
pride and wonderment that morning. The other
significant events included memorial services at the site of the burned down Gogol
Synagogue. The site was officially dedicated in 1993, and there are a few plaques
indicating what took place there sixty years ago. But on most days, it looks like a
small park where residents sit on the steps, oblivious to the carnage that occurred
there. We continued on to the Rumbula Forest, just outside Riga that was a major
killing field. Tens of thousands of Jews were killed in this forest, mainly women,
children and the elderly unable to work. Massive pits were dug. Riga became a
Nazi experiment to see how efficiently the Germans and their Latvian supporters could kill
as many Jews as possible. The men who survived this fate because they were young and
healthy and fit to work are still filled with guilt and grief because they couldn’t
prevent the deaths of their loved ones. We said kaddish at the Rumbula
memorial. Both Ambassador Holmes and Karlis Freibergs, the son and press officer of
the President of Latvia attended the service, a moving experience for everyone.
From
Rumbula we drove farther on to the Bikernieki Forest where more than 50,000 Jews
perished. An amazing effective monument is about ready to be dedicated in this
forest. We met the local Jewish architect who designed and constructed this massive
memorial. On previous visits, this forest was unkempt and barely indicated the
atrocities that took place. Now it is a somber and reverent site. There are
thousands of granite boulders of varying sizes, standing erect as if each were a
tombstone. It is a way of personalizing each individual who died. Yes, there
are hundreds of mass graves, but we honor each one’s memory. What is most
incongruous to me is that these forests are beautiful, green and golden, with birds
chirping and breezes stirring the leaves on the trees. Why are these trees not
barren? Why is there not outrage for the inhumanity that occurred? There are
so many “why” questions. The only answer I have is that we accept what is
and continue to remember.
This reunion
brought 85 survivors and their family and friends together. It was a mixture of
secular Jews and observant Jews. Half came from Israel and the other half came from
mainly the United States but also Germany and Colombia, South America. For some, it
was their first time back in Riga since the days of their youth. A few left before
the war but lost family members who were not so lucky to leave. Some didn’t
want to come but were glad they did; others came hoping to connect with someone from their
past.
One evening at
dinner our table of ten consisted of five from the U. S. and five from Israel and this was
our first opportunity to get acquainted. Our 80 year old friend George came from
Lebau, today known as Liepaja, a coastal city about 5 hours drive from Riga. He left
before the war, came to the United States, was a paratrooper in the D-Day Normandy
invasion and ended up in the CIA. The older Israeli woman across the table mentioned
a family name that George recognized from the past. Turns out they were both young
teens in Lebau, and, as George would say, “we bathed in the sea together!”
She was a good friend of George’s sister. This woman survived incredible
experiences in the ghettos and concentration camps and finally made it to Israel.
Neither had any idea what happened to the other. It was a special moment to witness
their reconnection, the tears and hugs and amazement at finding one another after all
these years. And they both look terrific!
There are so many
stories to tell, but what overrides all the tsuris and heartbreak is the spirit of life
that imbues each survivor. On the last night we ate and danced and sang. They
endured unspeakable horrors, but they know how to laugh and enjoy their families.
They never forget the loved ones they lost but they celebrate life. Even when the
body was broken and the mind was a puzzle of shattered pieces, the soul remained intact.
My involvement in
the Riga program came about because I was chair for several years of the committee on
World Jewry and Other International Concerns for the Jewish Community Relations
Council. It turns out I have a personal connection to Riga, Latvia because my
father’s father came from Latvia. My grandfather was the youngest son, and he
immigrated to the United States around 1910. His oldest brother Joseph stayed in
Latvia and lived very comfortably. At some point the family moved from Riga to Lebau
(Liepaja). While in Riga this time, we learned that a database exists of all Jews in
Lebau from 1941 to 1945 who were victims or survivors. I was amazed to find
information on my great-uncle, great-aunt and their two youngest children, my
father’s first cousins. Tomorrow, July 22nd, will be the 60th
anniversary of the deaths of Joseph Mitauer, age 49, Lazer Mitauer, age 25 and Meishe
Mitauer, age 18 shot by the Nazis. My aunt, Hinde Mitauer, died December 15, 1941.
Prior to the war, Lebau (Liepaja) had over
7000 Jews. By July 1, 1942 only 832 Jews remained alive and were placed in the Lebau
ghetto temporarily before they were moved to Riga and eventually Auschwitz. Every
city should be as well documented as Lebau. Now there is a draft project underway at the
Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Latvia to recover the names and identities
of all members of the Latvian Jewish Community who perished in the Holocaust. In
this way we give honor and dignity to those who died and we maintain our connection to
them. Through our laughter and tears we keep the memories alive. That is why
the sister-city program is useful. Riga, like so many other European cities, is
soaked in the blood of the Holocaust, and that is why we will continue to help the Jews of
Riga, young and old alike, as they work to re-establish their rightful place in the
community with pride and dignity. And who knows, I might be going to Riga yet again!
Margaret Israel
July 21,
2001
