Martyrs of Ludza

Martyrs of Ludza

Complied by Chaim Freedman

(extracted from The Pen and the Blade – Super Family)

This tragic yet historically valuable list was found at the Archive of Latvian and Estonian Jewry on Kibbutz Shefaim.

June 22, 1941, was a black day for Soviet Jewry as Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and the Baltic States. On July 1^st, the German army entered Riga, the Latvian capital. The Latvians in the main welcomed the Germans as liberators and took the opportunity of giving vent to their pent up anti-Semitic feelings by denouncing the Jews as Soviet agents. The Germans welcomed the support of the local Latvians who eagerly assisted the S.S. death squads in their brutal destruction of Latvian Jewry.

A number of Jews had the foresight to escape to the Soviet Union before the border was closed and thus saved their lives. In fact the remnants of Latvian Jewry who survived the Holocaust where in the main those who had managed to escape to the Soviet Union. But the majority were trapped in the net of the German monster. The main cities, Riga, Dvinsk, and Libau were the first to be sealed by the Germans and thousands of Jews were killed during the first days of the occupation. Then ghettos were established and the Jews systematically exterminated.

Zalman Lotzov at the memorial to the Martyrs of Ludza c1950 (Photo courtesy Paul Cheifitz)

In late July 1941 and throughout August special S.S. extermination squads attached to ‘Einzatzgruppe A” under the command of Brigadefuhrer Dr. Franz Stahlecker set about wiping out the regional communities of Lutzin, Korsovka, Krislova, Mitau, Rezhitza, Tokum, etc.

About 1500 Jews were living in Lutzin before the War. Several hundred of these managed to reach the Soviet Union. Those that remained, about 1250 men, women and children, were exterminated. After isolated murders commencing July 3^rd, a ghetto was set up in a few crowded streets at the edge of the city near a lake. There the few Jews were forced to manage under cramped conditions of up to eighteen in a room. Initially persecution of the Jews involved the wearing of a Yellow Star and other humiliating restrictions such as not walking on footpaths. The first victims of the executions were the elderly and sick. A group of fifteen of these included Rabbi Benzion Don Yechia who was cruelly abused before being killed. Another report refers to a group of 300 old people who were executed.

On August 17 most of the Jews were assembled and taken seven kilometres out of Lutzin to Lake Tzorba. There they were forced to strip, hand over all their valuables and line up at the edge of pits to be shot. The massacre was carried out by a German unit assisted by local Latvians. 800 victims were buried in two long pits. On August 27 a further 120 Jews were killed and the few survivors were killed over a short period of time. The only survivors were four Jews who had been saved by a Polish neighbour. When the town was recaptured by the Soviets the role of the Lavian collaborators was investigated and a number of locals were tried and executed.

Exact details of the deaths have not been obtained since there were so few surviving witnesses. With the recapture of the city by the Soviet army in 1944, several Jews returned to Lutzin. Amongst these was Svetlutzin who took upon himself the task of reorganizing a small community. His initial task was to locate the bodies of several Jews, to rebury them in proper graves and erect tombstones. Amongst these was the body of Rabbi Don Yechia which had been located with the assistance of a Latvian neighbour and identified by a passport which was found intact in his jacket pocket. Then Svetlutzin compiled a list of the victims, arranged in family groups, recording 564 people.

Grave of Rabbi Benzion Don Yechia (Photo courtesy Zeeva Levy).

Surname	Firstname	Spouse	Children	Address	No	Notes
?	Aron				226	Tailor
Adaomvitch	Bentzion	Rivka		Vigoski	221
Adomovitch	Folia	Wife	3 children	Lebesher	76
Althoiz	Risha			Leninska	126
Amiton		Khashke	2 children	Badgasse	175
Amiton	Mendel	Alta		Badgasse	176
Arusa?	Masha-Khaya				13
Belkin	David	Devorah			74
Berlin	Meria			Rezitzer	217
Blumenthal	Abba				27
Bobrov	Yitskhak	Wife	Child	Lebesher	96
Bodnia	Pesa-Leah	Shimon		Slobodka	147
Bogat	Khava			Krush.Bara	143
Borkan	Koppel	Khava			5
Borovik	Meir-Yosef	Frieda-Gita	2 sons		50
Borovik	Rivke			Badgasse	174
Borovik	Woman		2 sons	Vindovska	165
Borovik	Yenta		2 children	Badgasse	173
Buntzikov	Gutka			Slobodka	155
Deklin	Fruma			Levinska	113
Don Yechia	Rabbi Baruch			Vindovska	157
Don Yechia	Rabbi Bentzion	Khaya		Vindovska	156
Donchan	Khaim-Yitskhak	Khaya-Sarah	Abrashke		67
Donin	Sarah		Frumet		220
Druyan	Aron-Benyamin		Child	Rezitzer	203	Son-in-law Weissfos
Druyan	Barukh	Zitla			26
Druyan	Efraim		Daughter	Vigoski	215
Druyan	Mera				24
Druyan	Michal			Vigoska	214
Druyan	Naftali	Wife			25
Druyan	Polia	Wife			64
Druyan	Raia			Rezitzer	200
Druyan	Shifra			Slobodka	152
Druyan	Tsvi-Hirsh	Freida?	2 children	Nagarnaya	123
Druyan	Yiser?	Khaya			46
Druyan	Yisrael-Yitskhak	Sarah		Leninska	124
Druyan	Yitskhak	Tsipe		Vindovska	161
Druyan	Yosef				45
Edelshtein	Toibe			Krush.Bara	145
Emanuel	Reuven	Beila-Gela			19
Entin	Abe	Menukha	Yaakov	Leninska	125
Epstein		Wife	2 daughters		68	From Fulde
Falkin	Moshe	Wife	2 daughters	Leninska	130
Falkov	Barukh	Lieba-Reina	Hoda, Khanokh, sister		33
Falkov	Bunya			Nagarnaya	119
Falkov	Lena		Daughter		9
Falkov	Zuske	Sarah-Hinda			8
Feinshtein	2 sisters			Leninska	112	From Goshtinitz
Feliks	Yisrael	Dina	Merke	Slobodka	153	Mother-in-law, Druyan, Shifre
Filin	Khaim				235
Fliner	Anya				238
Krup	Yudel				17
Kurganov	Basyah		Daughter		22
Kushak	Moshe	Sheina?			20
Kushak	Moshe	Wife	2-3 children		236
Lagov	Avraham	Wife	2 children	Lebesher	89
Lagov	Barukh	Wife	2 children	Lebesher	85
Lagov	Pinkhas	Wife	Muske, Hode, Eliez., Avraham		54
Latzov	Feivish	Wife		Slobodka	186
Latzov	Moshe	Paia	Tsvia, Sonia, Shmuel-Elya	Lebesher	75
Latzov	Mrs		Grandchild	Slobodka	189
Latzov	Paia		Child, mother-in-law	Rezitzer	207
Latzov	Todres	Wife	3 children	Lebesher	90
Latzov	Yodel	Wife		Krush.Bara	135
Latzov	Yosel	Wife			41
Latzov	Zelig	Rivke	Elke	Lebesher	88
Leizerovitch	Dov-Ber	Zisle		Vindovska	162
Levin	Breinte				21
Levin	Khava		Tirtza	Leninska	110
Levin	Khaya-Malke			Vindovska	163
Levin	Rivka			Vindovska	171
Liak	Yisrael-Yitskhak	Khava-Rivke	Zelda, Zusla		234
Liak	Yisrael-Zalmen	Zishla			48
Liev	Khaim-David	Yette		Nagarnaya	118
Lindo		Wife		Leninska	128
Lipshitz	Khaya-Sarah		Shmuel, Tserna	Lebesher	94
Lipshitz	Nakhman	Wife		Slobodka	180
Lipshitz	Sarah				69
Lipshitz	Yeshaya	Khana	3 children	Slobodka	183
Lopinski	Yehuda			Vindovska	158
Lot	Gutka			Lebesher	104
Lotkin	Kasriel	Wife	Son		29
Luria	Yanchik	Wife			40
Maltinsky	Arele	Malki	Child	Leninska	129
Maltinsky	Mikhael	Leah			47
Mankov	Barukh-Shmuel	Wife		Vindovska	169
Mankov	Etl	Wife	David, Pole	Leninska	106
Mankov	Khana-Leah			Vindovska	167
Mankov	Khava				61
Mankov	Rashel			Lebesher	101
Mankov	Tsvi-Hirsh	Wife		Lebesher	81
Mankov	Yitskhak	Tsiona	Child	Slobodka	190
Mayofis	Elke			Rezitzer	204
Mayofis	Khaim-Mordekhai	Yokheved	Yekhiel	Lebesher	99
Mayofis	Mother		Daughter	Badgasse	178
Mayofis	Sholem	Wife	2 children	Lebesher	100
Melamed	Pesa			Slobodka	181
Merkin	Nekhama	Husband			86	From Diabulkes
Misulav	Ite-Mere		Motel	Vindovska	160
Modlian	Daniel	Wife			57
Moshlinov?	Moshe	Wife	Zuske		36
Muliarov		Wife	Daughter	Slobodka	188
Muliarov	Shmuel	Wife		Lebesher	87
Mulner	Rivka		Yosef		10
Naglia	Bentzion	Wife	Leah, child	Lebesher	97
Naglia	Tuviah	Wife	3 children	Lebesher	78
Oriev	Rivke-Beila				55
Ozband	Leibe-Tzalel	Wife	3 children	Slobodka	182
Ponarov		Wife	2 children		35	“blecher” – tinsmith
Ponarov	Bentzion	Wife	3 children		11
Ponarov	Folia	Breina			34
Preis	Bene				38
Putashnik	Mikhael	Rivke		Lebesher	95
Puternik	Yosef	Wife		Krush.Bara	134
Rabbinovitch	Shneor			Vindovska	170
Ravdil	Gershon	Rivke-Elke		Lebesher	103
Rom	Bere	Wife	2 sons	Lebesher	80
Sandlier	Nosen-Note	Wife	2 daughters, son	Badgasse	172
Sandlier	Sheine-Hode				225
Shein	Menukha			Leninska	131
Shein	Sarah		Mother-in-law		37
Shevelev	Wife		Son, daughter	Slobodka	150	Wife of Zelig-Barukh
Shevelev	Yekhiel	Reikhel		Slobodka	151
Shlabad	Moshe	Wife	Daughter	Leninska	127
Shlabad	Motel	Wife	Khaya	Leninska	116
Shlabad	Naftali	Wife		Krush.Bara	141
Shneor	?	freidke	Sonia, Sulke	Krush.Bara	133
Shorr	Khaim-Leizer	Wife	2 sons	Slobodka	149
Shoyer	Monya	Sarah	2 children		71
Shoyer	Shmuel	Wife	3 children		52
Shoyer	Velvel	Reina	David-Yaakov, Yehoshua		51
Shtikan	Toiba		2 children	Slobodka	198
Shuster	Aron				4
Shverdlov	Shimon	Wife	Daughter	Krush.Bara	139
Skutelski	Avraham	Bodana		Leninska	114
Slabad	Toibe		Sarah, David	Lebesher	93
Smurin	Braina			Leninska	105
Super	Aron	Wife	2 children	Slobodka	196
Super	David	Paia	Aron-Gutke, Yaakov-Hoibish	Badgasse	177
Super	Hode			Vigoski	216
Super	Moshe				60	Reb Gutman’s
Super	Naftali	Bunya		Lebesher	102
Super	Tevye				7
Super	Woman			Nagarnaya	122	Eizik’s mother
Super	Yitskhak	Wife	Son, mother-in-law Malka	Slobodka	197
Svetlutzin	Nekhe		Reina	Slobodka	146
Teitelbaum	Mikhael-Shaul	Sarah			32
Teitelbaum	Mikhael-Shaul	Wife		Lebesher	79
Toibkin	Moshe	Tsivke	2 children	Lebesher	77
Toibkin	Shlomo	Bassia	Daughter	Slobodka	148
Toviev	Yisrael	Fruma		Lebesher	98
Tzemel	Moshe-Eliyahu			Vigoski	213
Uzel	Shmuel	Khava-Leah	2 daughters	Krush.Bara	136
Vargovtik	Eliyahu	Slava	Son		14
Verokhovsky	Tzalel		2 daughters, son	Lebesher	82
Vertzel	Shlomo	Wife		Slobodka	230	Son-in-law Shlomo Toibkin
Vidan	Beile				231
Vidan	Meiran	Beile		Slobodka	179
Vider	Shmuel-Lozer	Wife			43
Vogenhoim	Barukh	Wife	2 sons		49
Vorgovtik	Wife			Nagarnaya	117
Weinshtok	Moshe		Khaim-David	Leninska	115
Weinshtok	Toibe			Krush.Bara	142
Weisfost	simkha	Rivka	Bluma, Yitskhak	Rezitzer	202
Yavitz	Aharon	Wife			223
Yavitz	Yaakov-Leib	Wife		Slobodka	187
Yendel	Mordekhai	Fruma		Vindovska	227
Yesevin	Moshe				222
Yesevin	Yitskhak	Moshika	Monia, Doba, Zelig		70
Yisroelovitch	Wolf	Liesa	Treine	Vigoski	212
Yoelson	Rivka		Daughter (husband, child)	Rezitzer	201
Yoresh	Khaya-Itel				15
Yorshov	Koppel-Yosef			Slobodka	194
Zalkind	Avraham	Sarah	Son		53
Zelikman	Elka		Son, daughter	Leninska	108
Zelikman	Mikhael-Yaakov	Yehudit			18
Zerdin	Sarah				42
Zmudzi	Avraham	Wife	Toibe, Devora	Vindovska	159
Zmudzi	Shmuel-Yosef	Tonia	2 children	Leninska	229
Zmudzi	Yeshaya	Wife		Slobodka	193
Zolotunin	Yosef	Wife			224
Zuser	Dov-Ber	Wife	2-3 children	Slobodka	199
Zuser	Shlomo-Yohasha	Wife	Tevye		6
Zuser	Shmuel	Bashke		Rezitzer	209

The new Holocaust Memorial (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Reinhart)

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