Latgale (Vitebsk)
The towns listed on this page are currently located in Latgale, which constituted the northwest part of Vitebsk gubernia during the Russian Empire. Latgale was the only province of Latvia that was part of the Pale of Settlement, and its Jewish population was subject to different linguistic and cultural influences than in the other parts of Latvia. If the notation "N/A" appears after Kehilalinks or Yizkor Book in the town listing, there is an opportunity to create a Kehilalinks page and/or sponsor (or volunteer to do) a yizkor book translation. If a town has a cemetery indexed in the JewishGen Online Burial Registry (JOWBR), it is linked to the description, and can be searched via a JOWBR database search. External cemetery websites for the town are also linked, if applicable.
Dagda/Dagden
Alternate names: Dagda [Latv, Rus], Dagde [Yid], Dagden [Ger], Dageten, Dedga, Dagdas
Cemeteries - 2 cemeteries : unnamed Dagda cemetery 1 and unnamed Dagda cemetery 2
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Daugavpils/Dvinsk/Dinaburg
Alternate names: Daugavpils [Latv], Dvinsk [Rus, since 1893], Dinaburg [Rus, until 1893], Denenburg [Yid], Dünaburg [Ger], Dyneburg [Pol], Daugpilis [Lith], Dźvinsk [Bel], Dźwińsk [Pol], Daŭhaŭpils, Daugapils, Daugpiļs, Daugava, Dynaborgs, Dynaburg, Deneburg, Duenaburg, Dwinsk
Cemeteries - The Dvinsk cemetery is included in JOWBR and the Dvinsk headstones and translations (from Russian) also appear on one of Christine Usdin's websites. There is also a Dvinsk burial pinkas, a list of burials, handwritten in Hebrew, which is among Martha Lev-Zion's personal papers, donated to the Leo Baeck Institute, and now on the Internet Archive. The pinkas begins on frame 690 (the URL is not precise). The source of the data is unknown.
Yizkor Book - 1) JewishGen Yizkor Book Project, Amy Samin, tr. "In Memory of the Community of Dvinsk (Daugavpils, Latvia)"; translation of Le zekher kehilat Dvinsk [In memory of the community of Dvinsk], (Haifa: 1975); and
2) Translation of the chapter "Dvinsk," by Moshe Amir (Bliach), from Mendel Bobe, ed., The Jews in Latvia (Tel Aviv: Association of Latvian and Estonian Jews in Israel, 1971), 262-275.
3) Remembering Dvinsk (Daugavpils, Latvia). New York: JewishGen.2016. For a description of the contents and where to buy, see the Yizkor Books in Print project. Includes a translation of Dvinsk, The Rise and Decline of a Town, by Yudel Flior.
Town Leader - N/A
Gostini/Dankere/Glazmanka
Alternate names: Gostini [Latv], Dankere [Ger, Yid], Glazmanka [Rus], Glazmanke [Yid], Głazmanka [Pol], Trentelberg [Ger], Guostiniai [Lith], Dankera, Dankari, Glasmanka, Glazminka
Kehilalinks - N/A
Cemeteries - Gostini Jewish Cemetery Webpage - Klaus- Peter Rex, a German priest, reconstructed the lost Jewish cemetery in the forest near Gostini with an international youth camp in 2005 and 2006. Christine Usdin's website holds photos and translations (from Hebrew) of these graves.
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Kārsava
Alternate names: Kārsava [Latv], Korsovka [Rus], Korsove [Yid], Karsau [Ger], Karsava [Lith], Korsówka [Pol]
Kehilalinks - N/A
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Kraslava/Kreslavka
Alternate names: Krāslava [Latv], Kreslavka [Rus], Kraslau [Ger], Kraslave [Yid], Krasław [Pol], Kraslava [Lith], Kreslawa, Kreslawka, Kraaslava, Kruoslova
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Krustpils/Kreuzburg
Alternate names: Krustpils [Latv], Kreuzburg [Ger], Kreitsburg [Rus], Kreitzberg [Yid], Krustpilis [Lith], Kryżborg [Pol], Kryżbork, Krystapiļs, Kreizburg, Kreutzburg
Yizkor Book - Chapter translated from Pinkas Ha-Kehilot Latvia v'Estonia [Encyclopedia of JewishCommunities in Latvia and Estonia]
Town Leader - N/A
Livani/Liwenhof
Alternate names: Līvāni [Latv], Livengof [Rus], Livenhof [Yid], Liwenhof [Ger, Pol], Lyvanai [Lith], Lievenhof, Livany
Kehilalinks
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Ludza/Lutsin
Alternate names: Ludza [Latv], Liutzin [Rus], Ludsen [Ger], Lutsin [Yid], Lutsi [Est], Lyutsin, Ludze, Lucyn, Luchin, Ludzen, Liutsin, Liutchin
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - Paul Cheifitz
Pleili/Preil
Alternate names: Preiļi [Latv], Prel' [Rus], Preil [Yid], Prely [Ger], Preiliai [Lith], Prial, Prieli, Preyli, Preli
Kehilalinks
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Rezekne/Rositten/Rezhitsa
Alternate names: Rēzekne [Latv], Rositten [Ger], Rezhitsa [Rus], Rezhitse [Yid], Rzeżyca [Pol], Rėzeknė [Lith], Räisaku [Est], Režica, Ryezhitsa
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Riebiņi/Ribenishki
Alternate names: Riebiņi [Latv], Ribene [Ger], Ribenishki [Rus], Ribinishok [Yid], Rybiniszki [Pol], Rybinischki, Ribinishki, Ribiņiški, Ribeny, Ribeņi, Silajani
Yizkor Book - Chapter translated from Pinkas Ha-Kehilot Latvia v'Estonia [Encyclopedia of JewishCommunities in Latvia and Estonia]
Town Leader - Marion Werle
Simala/Malta
Alternate names: Silmala [Latv], Malta [Latv, pre-1936], Małta [Pol]
Kehilalinks - N/A
Cemetery - N/A
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Varakļāni/Varklan
Alternate names: Varakļāni [Latv], Varklian [Yid], Warkland [Ger], Varaklyany [Rus], Varaklianai [Lith], Warklany [Pol], Varklan, Varaklian, Varklyane
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Viļaka/Marienhausen
Alternate names: Viļaka [Latv], Vilyaka [Rus], Viliaki [Yid], Marienhausen [Ger], Viliaka [Lith], Maryenhauz [Pol], Marynauza
Kehilalinks - N/A
Yizkor Book - Chapter translated from Pinkas Ha-Kehilot Latvia v'Estonia [Encyclopedia of JewishCommunities in Latvia and Estonia]
Town Leader - N/A
Viļāni/Welonen
Alternate names: Viļāni [Latv], Vilon [Yid], Velena [Rus], Welonen [Ger], Vilianai [Lith], Wellan [Ger], Wielony [Pol], Weleny, Vilyany, Vilyani, Vilyane, Viljani, Vilēni, Vilany, Veleny, Wielona, Veliony
Kehilalinks - N/A
Yizkor Book - N/A
Town Leader - N/A
Viški
Alternate names: Višķi [Latv], Vishki [Rus], Vishky [Yid], Wyschki [Ger], Wyszki [Pol], Vyshki, Vyški
Cemeteries - 2 cemeteries in JOWBR: unnamed Viški cemetery 1 and unnamed Viški cemetery 2. The late Christine Usdin made three videos of the Jewish cemetery in Viški during a trip in 2008: The Jewish Cemetery of Vishki, Latvia, The Jewish Cemetery of Vishki, Latvia, May 2008, and The Jewish Cemetery of Vishki, Latvia 3.
Yizkor Book - Chapter translated from Pinkas Ha-Kehilot Latvia v'Estonia [Encyclopedia of JewishCommunities in Latvia and Estonia]
Town Leader - N/A
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