Latvia: Latvian Jewish Encyclopedia being prepared

Victoria Shaldova, executive director of Shamir, the Jewish community of Riga, Latvia, has written to Tracing the Tribe about a new community project.

My paternal grandfather was born in Riga, and we still have Talalay relatives living in Riga who moved there from Mogilev, Belarus following World War II. Unfortunately, however, I do not hold material to contribute. I'm hoping readers will be able to assist Shaldova.

Activity of "Shamir" is aimed to commemorating the memory of Latvian Jews.

The most significant project of us is Latvian Jewish Encyclopedia, which gathers information about all the Jews, connected to Latvia. It will be a memorial for the Latvian Jews, which do not exist now. We have gathered already more than 2 500 biographic and thematic entries and it is a half of the proposed amount. It covers the period of time from 1561 to 1991.

Now we are looking for Jews originally from Latvia, but living abroad. All the information about Latvian Jews (i.e. biographies, photos, family stories) is appreciated.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon,
thank you in advance,
Victoria Shaldova

Readers who would like to participate may email Shaldova. The website for the Riga Jewish community is Shamir.