Jekabpils
Jakobshtadt,Jacobstadt,Yakovshtat,Yekabpils
Location: 82 km NW of Daugavpils, 56º 29'/25º 51'
Brief History
Population
Religious
Institutions
Charitable
and
Benevolent Societies
Occupations
Movements
Holocaust Period
Krustpils Photos
Jekabpils Picture
Gallery
Useful Links
Jekabpils Family
Histories (List of names)
Jekabpils and Krustpils
Residents and Occupations
Jekabpils
Jewish Cemetry
List of the
Jacobstadt merchants for 1837
Ancestor Photos
Jekabpils formerly Jacobstadt is situated on the banks of the
Dvina river. Jakobstadt was founded in the 16thC by Jacob, Duke of
Kurland,(Courland today) for a group of people banished from
Russia. The Settlement was granted town status in 1670 and named
after Jacob.
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1795 Courland (Kurland) was annexed by Russia |
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The community was organised. The majority came from Lithuania and some from surrounding villages. |
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A community register was kept. A Rabbi officiated soon afterwards. |
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A Yeshiva opened. |
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An elementary school for boys opened. It functioned until World war 1. |
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They had a library and a reading room. |
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Dr Yehezkel Gurevitz one of the heads of the community was elected as a representative of Courland in the fourth Duma. (Advisory and Lawmaking body in Russia) |
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The Jews of Courland were exiled to Russia. 3 Members of the Jekabpils Jewish community signed as guarantors for the community and prevented their banishment. |
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Parallel to community council the "Association of the Jews of Jekabpils" was organised |
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The name was changed from the German Jacobstatdt to the Latvian Jekabpils and they became part of Independent Latvia. There was a Jewish school in which Yiddish was the medium of instruction and Hebrew was also taught. |
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Rumours of ritual murders by Jews. Pogrom atmosphere calmed by police |
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Jekabpils and Krustpils ( formerly Kreuzbug ) were united. |
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2,569 Jews |
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60% emigrated to agricultural areas in Southern Russia. |
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2,254. Many were illegal. Formed 41% of the total population. |
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If documents were not valid they were banished. The emigration to the USA began. |
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2,087. Formed 36% of the population. |
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676 in the community. Only a few returned after the war. |
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60% of the Businesses were Jewish. They formed 14% of total population. 793 out of 5,826 total population. They were able to open shops on Sunday afternoon. |
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60 Jewish members of the community. |
A synagogue
3 Houses of prayer
Beth Midrash
"Poalei Tzedek" Minyan
Haderim
Talmud Torah"
Rabbi Yehudah Leib Shaul was the leader of the community from
1908-1941. There were branches of Agudath Yisrael.
Charitable and Benevolent Societies
Gemilluth Hesed
Bikkur Holim-sick visiting
The first Jews were poor peddlers. They were allowed to acquire real estate in the second half of the 19thC and their situation improved. The majority were in Business in lumber,grain and flax. There were tailors,shoemakers,tinsmiths,blacksmiths and carters.Two factories producing matches before World war 1 were Jewish owned. There were 5 doctors.
The Jewish socialist party-The Bund- became active from 1905.
"Bar Kochva" scout movement.
Hashomer Hatzair Netzach
Betar
Gordonia
Herzlia
Zionism strengthened in 1930's
324 members of Jekabpils community voted in 1933 in the elections
to the 18th Zionist Congress.
Anti-Zionist Yiddishists were active in the Workers club
(Arbeiterheim)
The Red army entered Latvia in 1939 following the Ribbentrop-
Molotov Accord. (Germany and the USSR) and a Soviet Government was
installed in 1940. There was nationalisation of privately owned
business. Jewish public institutions were wound up. A number of
Jews joined the new regime. On June 22nd 1941 the Soviets began to
evacuate. The few Jews who succeeded in fleeing to Russia were
conscripted into the Red army. The majority of the Jews remained
behind in the town which was occupied by rhe Germans on June
29th.. In September 1941 on the way to the town Kokas where they
had been sent many who had difficulty marching were shot on the
way and the rest were murdered in Kokas. The Red Army liberated
the town in the Summer of 1944. Survivors brought back the remains
of the dead for Jewish burial and erected a monument in their
memory in the 1950's. The authorities removed the monument and all
traces of Jewish identification. After 1991 Jewish memorials
were once again allowed in Latvia.
Ref: Extracted from the Archives of Latvian and
Estonian Jews held at Kibbutz Shefayim in Israel.
Per permission of Mr Shlomo Kurlandchik. Chief Archivist.
The total population is 14,600. The Jewish community today
numbers only 60 people and dates from 1990. There are hardly
any young people living there today and they are mainly elderly
and impoverished. The leader of the Jewish community showed me the
few remaining buildings that were owned by Jews. An office is
located in the old Jewish area and the community receives rent
from a street market located on Jewish land. There is a large
cemetery with many stones that have decipherable inscriptions. The
cemetery is overgrown and in need of attention. Many stones are
broken and many overgrown with moss. A great feeling of sadness
overwhelms one. The Commission for Preservation of Jewish
Buildings and Monuments is trying to fund a project for
documenting sites such as these throughout Latvia.
Jekabpils is a small town and the town lacks
funds. The community has no synagogue and the only sign of
Jewish life is matzoh at Pesach. Through the American Yad L'Yad
programme they receive some support from Congregation Beth
Shalom in Naperville, Illinois - suburban Chicago.The journey
from Riga takes 2-3 hours and the road is good. The road follows
the river and near Plavinas the scenery is particularly pretty.
Visitors are well advised to take sandwiches as there are no
restaurants such as we are used to in Europe or the USA.
Latvia SIG Home
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Jekabpils
History Site Beit Hatfutsot
Compiled by Arlene Beare Jan 06, 1999 Suggestions or Comments? Contact: Arlene Beare Last updated: 24th June 2018 Copyright©1999-2001Arlene Beare |
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