This post should have been up yesterday, but I was out of town for most of the day and returned with a splitting headache, so I hope you’ll accept the post today instead.
On July 4, 1941, numerous synagogues across Latvia were burned to the ground, some of them with people inside. One of the most prominent of these was the Great Choral Synagogue on Gogol street in RÄ«ga. It was burned with 300 Jews inside. It is at the remains of this synagogue that this memorial can be found.
Memorial stone at ruins of the Great Choral Synagogue, Gogol street, RÄ«ga, Latvia. Photo taken by the author, July 2, 2010.
It is because of the destruction on this day that July 4 is designated as the Day of Remembrance in Latvia for Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
I took more photos of the area, of what is left of the synagogue, and of the monument to the Latvian Righteous Among the Nations nearby, let me know in comments if you would like me to post more.
My grandfather was Valdis Valdeman Krilovs born 1928 in Sweden, he had Latvian heritage but extremely little is known about him, and sadly his birth certificate and passport were destroyed. I know his father was Aleksander Krilovs, a naval captain who died at sea around 1929/1930 possibly as the result of an explosion or collision or similar. We dont know if it was the Royal Navy or merchant Navy. Aleksander’s wife was Annette (maiden name unknown). Annette remarried to a Mr Swenson/Swensson and Valdis was sent to boarding school in Sweden. Valdis emigrated to England in 1946 and died in 1981. Nothing else is known but I would love to have some info.
Rebekah,
Have you tried contacting the Swedish archives to see if they can reissue Valdis’ birth certificate? The website Genline might be able to help. They might also be able to aid in discovering information about his mother. Do you know when they moved to Sweden? If it was between 1920 and 1928, it is possible that the Latvian State Historical Archives may have an emigration record for the family. Best of luck!
Antra, thankyou! Sorry for late reply, Ive only just looked back on the website. x