Projects

Projects

Project “German- Baltic Academic Seminar in Jewish Studies “On the Bridge: Germany, Baltic and Jews in Modern times” Project “German- Baltic Academic Seminar in Jewish Studies “On the Bridge: Germany, Baltic and Jews in Modern times” (“Deutsch-Baltischer akademischer Seminar in Jüdischen Studien „Auf der Brücke: Deutschland, Baltikum und die Juden in der Neuzeit“) was launched in 2014 with the financial support of Baltic-German University Liaison Office. The overall aim of the project is to expand the view and understanding of Latvian students and researches in the field of Jewish studies, as well as give an insight in the contemporary concept of Jewish history and culture in context of Europe’s history. The project is carried out in close collaboration with the University of Tübingen, University of Postdam and museum “Jews in Latvia”. It is supposed that corporation between Baltic and German specialists will serve as valuable exchange of experience and methodology.  This project of the Baltic-German University Liaison Office is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic Germany. Project “Education in Jewish History and Culture in Latvia” In January 2012 with the support of The Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund (JHF) a project „Education in Jewish History and Culture in Latvia” was launched and successfully continued in 2013. The main purpose of the project was to promote continuous educational activities in Jewish studies for maintaining self-identification of Latvian Jewry and making an impact on positive development of Latvian-Jewish relation. Priority was given to subjects dealing with the history of Jews in Latvia and Baltic region, especially to the intellectual heritage of their past. As a result many public lectures, seminaries and open discussions with attracting guest and local experts and educators were held; research of the Jews in Latvia and their intellectual heritage, including the movement of Zionism was carried out and educational materials, concerning Jewish history and culture, were published. Project „A systematic study of the Riga House Registers as a Source for Jewish Genealogy in Pre War Latvia” The project was launched in October 2009 with the support of International Institute for Jewish Genealogy. This project was the first detailed examination of a major urban capital using genealogical techniques to establish not only information of specific interest to family historians but also to provide the data necessary to look at larger demographic and social trends in respect of the Jewish experience in the inter war years.  The primary objective of this research was a systematic analysis of the Riga House Registers as a source of genealogical data with a view to identifying family links and kinship groups.  The Latvia Holocaust Jewish Names Project. In 2001 The Latvian Names Project was elaborated and presented to the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and several international organizations.

The project was launched in 2002 as an independent Research Project of the Center for Judaic Studies. It’s purpose is to recover the names and identities of the members of the Latvian Jewish Community who perished as a result of the Holocaust during the period from 1941-1945. The Steering Committee of this project consists of academic professionals from both Latvia (Dr. Ruvin Ferber, Professor, University of Latvia and Head of the Board of the Center for Judaic Studies, Dr. Aivars Stranga, Professor, University of Latvia, Head and Chair in History and Philosophy, Ms Irina Veinberga, Chief Archivist and Department Head, State Historical Archives, Riga) and abroad (Constance Whippman, Advocate, United Kingdom and Founder and coordinator of the All Latvia Database JewishGen.).

The project is academic in its approach and primarily archive based and fully utilizes the resources of the State Historical Archives (Riga) in particular and also draws on in other archives and other institutions both in Latvia, as well as in the former Soviet Union, Israel, USA, Germany that have material relevant to the fate of the Latvian Jews. The expected result of the project is to create a memorial book  with the memorial list of names and personal details of the Holocaust victims – Jews of Latvia. The work includes research, data entry and analysis and, in particular, reconciliation and matching of documentary data from a variety of sources in different archives. The sources used in the compilation of this database will include House Lists, Census Material, Deportee Lists, Survivor’s lists, lists from Yad Vashem and other archive based material in Latvia and abroad. The Steering Committee is commited to ensuring that data extraction and entry is carried out to the highest academic and professional standards in the most effective way. The overriding project goal is to create an accurate record of the fate of Latvian Jewry 1941-1945. A close liaison is established with The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority Yad Vashem in working towards a shared goal in recording the fate of the Latvian Jews. The results of the research are regularly published in academic journals.
Searchable database is located at the web site http://names.lu.lv

The project is not yet finished, many columns of the personal cards are still empty and the fate of many Latvian Jews still has to be established. Therefore we would be grateful to anyone who can help us in this work by sharing with us information about the fate of their relatives and friends.

Please contact us for clarifications and corrections by e-mail: names@latnet.lv
Oral History Project. This ongoing project of the Center for Judaic Studies has been designed and organised in co-operation with JewishGen Latvia Special Interest Group and Association of Latvian and Estonian Jews in Israel. It is also a part of Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Academy of Sciences project „Latvian National Oral History” (“Latvijas Nacionâlâ mutvârdu vçsture”). A number of Jewish individuals who were born in Latvia are interviewed and afterwards the interviews documented and taped. The interviews are carried out in Russian or Latvian. The idea is to build up a series of oral histories that will give a picture of life in Latvia during the interwar period.
Project „Jews in Cities of Latvia ” (begining from 2009). An on-line project researching and exploring the history of various Jewish communities in main districts (Courland, Semgalia, Vidzeme and Latgalia) and smaller Latvian towns. Many articles, done by sholars in the field and history students, cover issues of Jewish cultural, economic and religious life from the 16th till 20th century. Research is related to Prof.Aivars Stranga lecture course „The history of Jews in Latvia from 16 century till nowadays”. Most of articles are available in Latvian, some in English and Russian. Articles are available at: http://www.lu.lv/studiju-centri/jsc/pilsetas