Honoring Memory…
and building community across generations.
Find your ancestors.
What people say about us
“
Attending the annual Yizkor service is my way of paying honor to all of my family members who were killed in the Holocaust.”
Alla F.
“
Helping keep the memory of our ancestors alive in a world that is increasingly forgetting the legacy of the Holocaust is more important than ever. JSL helps us do that.”
Raphaela N.
Articles from recent editions of The Latvian Jewish Courier
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The Ration Card
by Joshua Malkin As my family was assisting my grandparents move from their home of many years into a smaller apartment, my mom found my great grandmother’s World War II ration card. It was well preserved, with text in French and a grid of ration coupons (both pictured below). About 20% of the coupons were…
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Just released – Memories of a Subhuman
Memories of a Subhuman by Aleksandr Bergman is a powerful Holocaust memoir about survival, memory, and the struggle to remain human in the face of systematic dehumanization. Beginning in Riga in 1941, Bergman recounts his experiences as a Jewish teenager under Nazi occupation, witnessing the destruction of his community, the loss of family members, the terror…
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Righteous Among the Nations Ceremony
Article published on the websites of LRT and Daugavpils Television (translated to English by Ivar Brod) Israeli Ambassador to Latvia Sandra Simovich visited Latgale on an important mission. A solemn ceremony of awarding the “Righteous among the Nations” medal was held in Preili. The award was presented to the heirs of five residents of Preili and the Preili region, who during the Second World War,…
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Return to Riga
by Michael Bers Baick On the morning of September 27, 1933, someone photographed nine Jewish children in front of a Yiddish elementary school in Riga. Two girls stood up straight and posed; the others kept playing. Why stand still for a camera when you could run around with your friends? The photo belonged to my…
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Gertrude Schneider: Writer, Scientist, Historian
Article by Ivar Brod, translated by Aviva Solovey The Latvian Jewish Courier Vol. 39, Issue 1 – August 2025 In the fall of 2010, we began to compile articles about outstanding Jews from Latvia to be included in the Latvian Jewish Encyclopedia, planned for publishing by the Shamir Society in Riga. The following is an…
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Book Presentation: Prominent Latvian Jews in the USA
Based on materials from the Latvian Press The Latvian Jewish Courier Vol. 39, Issue 1 – August 2025 On February 26, the Academic Library of the University of Latvia hosted a presentation of the book Prominent Latvian Jews in the USA. The book brings together portraits and life stories of Jewish figures born in Latvia…
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We Were in Riga on July 4th
Article by Bez Neihausen and Adam Evenstein The Latvian Jewish Courier Vol. 38, Issue 1 – August 2024 We flew in from two different parts of the world and met up in Riga, Latvia – where our grandparents and their families all came from, before they immigrated to the United States in 1972. We are…