Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research in Latvia
During the Soviet regime in Latvia questions and discussions about the past were silenced or forbidden. Therefore, only after full restoration of independence, could Latvian people express themselves freely about all aspects of their history. Interestingly enough, prior to restoring Latvia's independence, on 19th September 1990 the Parliament of Latvia (Supreme Council of Latvia at the time) adopted a declaration about the condemnation and prohibition of Genocide and Antisemitism in Latvia, which was followed by Latvia's significant work in Holocaust research, remembrance, education and the fight against modern forms of Antisemitism.
In 1998 the President of Latvia established the Commission of the Historians, the main task of which was to research the crimes against humanity committed in the territory of Latvia under two occupations during the period of 1940 to 1956. Approximately 25 professional historians have been implementing such work. For the last ten years the academic research on Nazi-occupied Holocaust Latvia was marked by such significant publications as one exploring the extermination of Jews in Latvia's towns during the summer and autumn of 1941, which was one of the first such research projects carried out in the whole of Europe.
The Commission also finished the combined volume on Jews' rescuers, which showed that more than 400 inhabitants of occupied Latvia had taken the risk saving Jews and more than 100 had helped in other ways either by providing food or shelter. So far the Commission has published 23 volumes and is still continuing its research. Currently Professor Aivars Stranga is a member of the Commission and delegate to the AWG of the ITF.
Ambassador, Head of the Latvian delegation
Education
Study of the Holocaust forms part of the compulsory history curriculum in Latvia's schools, as well as study programmes in the history of culture, civics and politics. Questions on the topic are included in school examinations.
Several books on the Holocaust and the history of the Jewish community in Latvia are presently available for use by students. The publication of the book, "Tell Ye Your Children", a book on the Holocaust in Europe 1933-1945 by Paul A. Levine and Stephane Bruchfeld, was the result of cooperation with the International Task Force. Numerous materials for teachers have also been prepared, such as the handbook, A Controversial History, published by the Latvian Association of History Teachers (LAHT). In collaboration with the Swedish Institute and the USA Embassy in Riga, LAHT organises regular seminars on Holocaust education for teachers in Latvia. LAHT coordinates visits by teachers from Latvia to the USA under a teacher-training programme, and sent teachers to the Yad Vashem International School of Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem in 2003.
LAHT participates in cooperation with Latvia's History Commission through the organisation of joint seminars. The Commission contributed to the organisation of the seminar in October 2002. Run by specialists from Latvia and Sweden, the goal of the seminar was to share the experience of teaching about the Holocaust between several schools in Latvia and Sweden, develop practical approaches to teaching the subject matter, inform about recent developments in Holocaust research in Latvia, and show participants the memorials erected in memory of the Holocaust in Liepaja.
A key tertiary education and research institution in relation to the Holocaust is the Centre for Judaic Studies, established in 1998 by the University of Latvia (UL). The Centre offers courses to UL students on both the history of the Jewish community in Latvia and the Holocaust, and engages both Latvian and foreign scholars in research into selected topics.
As a part of the project "Latvia's Jewish Community: History, Tragedy, Revival", an exhibition prepared by the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Museum "Jews in Latvia" was opened in 2001 in Riga. The exhibition has been touring Latvia since the beginning of 2002. The exhibition includes the history of the Latvian Jewish community from the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century; the Second World War; the Holocaust; rescuers of Jews in Latvia; and current state policy in relation to Holocaust research and commemoration. It can be regarded as the first attempt to take a concise look at the history of the Latvian Jewish community from its origins.
Remembrance
In the framework of the Baltic Mass Graves Project nearly 200 memorial places were identified in Latvia. Currently there have been 134 memorials or memorial plaques placed.
Memorial sites dedicated to victims of the Holocaust are being built or restored by the Latvian Jewish community, municipalities and other local authorities. More memorials and memorial plaques are planned to be placed in 2009.
It has been estimated that the work of marking all memorial sites will be completed in the coming few years.
On December 9th, 2003 the Latvian government adopted a decision to erect a monument to Zanis Lipke and others who saved Jews in Latvia during World War Two. This monument is in the area of the national Holocaust memorial at the ruins of the burned Choral Synagogue in Riga.
On June 2nd 2008 a unique project "Names and destinies" was presented by the Centre of Judaism at the University of Latvia. The project comprises a website that contains information on former Jewish communities of Latvia as well as an archive of Jews who perished during the period 1941-1945. The project is a unique virtual memorial to the Latvian Jewish Community of that time.
The significance of Holocaust Memorial Day in Latvia
On 4th July 1941 in Gogola Street, Riga the Choral Synagogue was burned to the ground with people locked inside it. Since October 1990 Latvia holds a commemoration event for the Jewish victims of genocide on the site of the synagogue. The event addresses the genocide against the Jewish people by the Nazi regime as the culmination point of evil. It is emphasised that the Holocaust has caused irreversible changes in Latvia, leaving deep scars in collective and individual memory.
The commemoration event is always attended by the highest government representatives, diplomatic corps and Jewish communities. The commemoration event is often linked to a certain educational or political event. In 2006 the commemoration event was linked with an international conference "The Holocaust: Remembrance and Lessons", the aims of which were to raise awareness, promote discussion on sensitive historic issues, and combat modern forms of Antisemitism.
Research
There was no Holocaust research during Soviet rule in Latvia (1944-1991). The victims of the Holocaust were subsumed under the rubric "Nazi murder of peaceful Soviet citizens," usually with unsubstantiated and highly inflated numbers. Research in the West was mainly based on accounts of survivors and court cases against Nazi criminals. Only after regaining independence in 1991, could Latvian historians begin to assess the situation and make use of documentation available locally. Detailed Holocaust research was given a major boost with the establishment of the Historians' Commission of Latvia under the aegis of the President's office in 1998. Its first task was the investigation of crimes against humanity committed during the Soviet and Nazi occupations in the limited time span from 1940 to 1956. A sub-commission was established to deal specifically with the Holocaust.
In the years since it began its work, a great amount of basic research has been carried out and consensus has been reached on many aspects previously distorted by both Nazi and Soviet misinformation and propaganda.
Currently the main task of the Commission is to study the issue "Crimes against Humanity Committed in the Territory of Latvia under Two Occupations, 1940 - 1956", as well as to organise the production of the final report on the theme. Only a few of the members of the Commission are directly involved in the research of the theme - major work is being implemented by approximately 25 professional historians. The task involves work for several years.
The Commission actively publishes its research findings and conference papers in a series of volumes entitled Symposium of the Commission of the Historians of Latvia. The sixth volume, published in 2002, included documents from the Commission's conference "Deportation of 14th June 1941: Crime against Humanity", held on 12th-13th June 2001 in Riga. The eighth volume, "The Issues of the Holocaust Research in Latvia", is a collection of papers presented at an international seminar, held in Riga on November 29th 2001, as well as the latest research on the Holocaust in Latvia.
The first research in Latvia on the history of Antisemitism, "Antisemitism and Its Expressions in Latvia" by Leo Dribins, was published as the 4th volume of the Symposia series in 2001. Also in that year, the Commission published the booklet "Latvia's Jewish Community: History, Tragedy, Revival" by Leo Dribins, Armands Gutmanis and Margers Vestermanis, with the cooperation of Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Commission has organised a number of international seminars and conferences, including "Latvia in World War Two" (1999), "The Issues of Holocaust Research in Latvia" (2000), and "The Soviet Occupation Regime in the Baltics: Policy and Its Consequences" (2002). In addition, it assisted with the organisation of the 4th international conference "Jews in a Changing World", held in Riga in November 2001, followed by a conference on 12th-13th June 2003. Entitled "Latvia under the occupation of Nazi Germany, 1941-1945", which focused not only on events in the Baltic region, but also sought to define similar and contrasting features of Nazi occupation policy in Latvia and other European states. An additional aim was to provide researchers with new theoretical concepts and specify directions for further research.
