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Historical Background
The history of the Jews in Latvia dates back to the first Jewish colony established in Piltene in 1571. Jews contributed to Latvia's development until the Northern War (1700–1721), which decimated Latvia's population. The Jewish community reestablished itself in the 18th century, mainly through an influx from Prussia, and came to play a principal role in the economic life of Latvia.

Under an independent Latvia, Jews formed political parties and participated as members of parliament. The Jewish community flourished. Jewish parents had the right to send their children to schools using Hebrew as the language of instruction, as part of a significant network of minority schools.

World War II ended the prominence of the Jewish Community. The Holocaust killed 90% of Latvia's Jewish population. Under Stalin, Jews, who formed only 5% of the population, constituted 12% of the deportees.

Today's Jewish community traces its roots to survivors of the Holocaust, Jews who fled to the USSR to escape the Nazi invasion and later returned, and Jews newly immigrated to Latvia from the Soviet Union. The Latvian Jewish community today is small but active.

1897 Census
The 1897 Russian Imperial Census was the first and only census carried out in the Russian Empire. The census enumerated the entire population of the Empire (excluding Finland), but after statistical data was gathered, many of the census returns were destroyed.

1897 Census records still exist for the Latvian towns/cities of:


 * Rēzekne
 * Krustpils
 * Ludza
 * Prieļi
 * Daugavpils [Dvinsk].

Partial 1897 Census records still exist for the Latvian towns/cities of:


 * Rīga
 * Liepāja [Libau]
 * Kuldīga [Goldingen]
 * Jaunjelgava (Friedrichstadt)
 * Jēkabpils (Jakobstadt)
 * Valdemārpils (Sassmacken)
 * Talsi (Talsen)
 * Tukums (Tukum)
 * Additional small communities

These records are indexed through JewishGen and can be accessed via the JewishGen Latvia Database. The indexes contain links to original images; however, many of the links are outdated. To access images of the original records, use Raduraksti, the Latvian State Archive's virtual reading room. To learn how to read 1897 Census records, see the Reading the 1897 Census "How to" Guide.

For more information about 1897 Census in Latvia, see the 1897 All-Russia Census - Latvia article from JewishGen.

Revision and Family Lists
Revision lists are enumerations of the taxable population (most Jews in the Russian empire fell into a taxable social class). There were ten revisions taken sporadically from 1772-1858. These records are a foundational source in genealogical research as they provide names, ages, and relationships.

Supplemental Lists, also known as Family Lists, can be found ranging from about 1860 through the end of the nineteenth century. They are similar in format to revision lists and are often grouped with revision list records in an archive.

Many Latvian revision list records have been indexed and are available through the JewishGen Latvia Database.

Original revision list records are available through Raduraksti. See the Raduraksti: Online Latvian Revision Lists "How to" Guide to learn how to access these records. Use the Jewish Holdings in the Latvian State Historical Archives inventory from the JewishGen Latvia SIG to determine if there are records available for your desired location.

JewishGen
Vital records, or records of birth, marriage, and death, for many shtetl in Latvia have been indexed and are searchable via the JewishGen Latvia Database. Use the Jewish Holdings in the Latvian State Historical Archives inventory from the JewishGen Latvia SIG to determine if records from your area have been indexed, or if they are accessible through Raduraksti. See the Raduraksti: Online Latvian Vital Records "How to" Guide to learn about vital records on Raduraksti.

Passport Records
During the interwar period (1918 and 1940), all Rīga residents over the age of fifteen were required to have an internal passport that acted as an identification card. Internal passports included information such as birthdate and place, name of father, residential address and a photograph. Original records are available via FamilySearch (In the Catalog, type Latvia, Rīga, hit enter and then look for the heading Emigration and immigration. Passports are categorized alphabetically by surname.

Passport records have not yet been indexed by JewishGen, but you can find indexes to records in a variety of places:


 * Ciltskoki Pases Latvian indexed records site (free, but requires registration). The indexes link directly to FamilySearch images.
 * Latvijas iedzīvotāju pases from Raduraksti, provides a basic index to passport records.
 * Latvia, Riga Internal Passport Holders Index, 1918-1940, MyHeritage (usually a subscription site, but this collection is free).

Cemeteries

 * BalticGen has a Latvian Jewish Cemetery Index available, which includes names of people buried in select Latvian Jewish cemeteries. Some tombstones do not have surnames, and the indexes provide only the given name, patronymic and the year of death.
 * Lo Tishkach European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative has a large database of European Jewish cemeteries and mass graves.
 * Latvia's Jewish Cemeteries inventory was put together by the Cultural Guide to Jewish Europe. The website shows locations of various Jewish cemeteries throughout Latvia and provides details and information on existing tombstones.
 * JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry contains more than three million names from cemeteries and burial records worldwide.

Holocaust
It is estimated that about 70,000 Latvian Jews perished in the Holocaust. There are many resources available online to assist you in your Latvian Holocaust research:


 * Jews of Latvia: A Project, Names and Fates 1941-1945 The Latvian Names Project, under the direction of the Centre of Judaic Studies at the University of Latvia, seeks to identify and preserve the memory of those that were lost during the Holocaust. The website is available in English, Latvian, or Russian. To access the database, click on Surnames and select your surname from the list. A prewar residence city is required, but given name and year of birth are optional. Search results can include information such as birth date and place, death date, prewar residence and additional details about their fate between 1941-1945. For additional instructions about using the database and the type of information you might find, click here. The project is not yet complete, so check back often if you do not find what you are looking for.
 * European Holocaust Research Infrastructure Online Portal offers information on Holocaust archival material held in institutions in Europe and throughout the world.
 * Arolsen Archives, also known as the International Center on Nazi Persecution, is one of the largest archives on the victims of Nazi persecution. Many of their holdings are available to research online.
 * Yad Vashem Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names is a database of victims of the Holocaust.

Yizkor Books
Yizkor books are memorial books commemorating a Jewish community that was destroyed during the Holocaust. Books are usually published by former residents and records the remembrance of homes, people and ways of life lost during World War II. Most books are written in Yiddish or Hebrew, but in recent years, many have been translated and made available online. Take a look at the JewishGen Yizkor Book Project to locate a translation or Yizkor book for your locality of interest.

Additional Resources
The following is a list of additional websites you may find useful in your Latvian Jewish research:


 * Latvia Special Interest Group
 * Courland Research Group
 * JewishGen Kehila Links
 * Latvia: Jewish Family History Research Guide

JewishGen Town Finder/JewishGen Communities Database

 * The town finder is a useful online gazetteer for locations in Eastern Europe. Note that wild card searches are not supported. To view an entry page, click on the Jewish star to the left of the town name. Entry pages provide jurisdictions for before WWI, the interwar period, after WWII and modern-day. Alternate names and Yiddish and Russian spellings are also included. In the center, you'll find a map and a list of additional Jewish communities located nearby. Finally, under Additional Information and in the green box at the top, you'll find links to references and additional resources that may help you in your research.

JewishGen Family Finder

 * The Family Finder is a database of both ancestral hometowns and surnames that have been researched by their descendants world wide. The Family Finder allows you to connect with others who are researching similar ancestors and origins and collaborate your research. To add the surnames and locations you are researching, click on Modify (Edit your existing entries) or Enter (Add new entries). Type in the surnames and/or locations of interest and hit Submit. To search the database and see if you can connect to family members and other researchers, choose Search (Search the database) from the Town Finder home page. You can search for a surname and/or a town. Search results will appear in a chart format giving you the surname, town, country, and researcher information (often includes contact information) and the date they last logged into JewishGen.

FamilySearch

 * There may also be records available through the FamilySearch Catalog.


 * a. Click here to access catalog entries for Latvia.
 * b. Click on Places within Latvia and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Jewish records" topic. Click on the blue links to view specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records. A camera with a key on top means the record is viewable but with certain restrictions that may mean the record can only be viewed at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, a Family History Center, or FamilySearch Affiliate Library. Take a look at the Family History Center Finder to discover a location near you.

Sources in Print
Bogdanova, Rita. and Ruvin Ferber. "A Website List of Latvian Jewry Prior to World War II." In AVOTAYNU Vol. XXIV, no. 3 (Fall 2008); pp. 9-11.