Jews lived in Jelgava from the 17th century. According to the 1897 census, the Jewish population was almost 6,000 (about 17% of the total population). In May 1915, the Jews in Jelgava, along with the other Jews of the Courland area, were expelled to Russia. Some returned after World War I, but the Jewish population thereafter never amounted to more than 2,000 persons. Many of these Jews fled with the Red Army on the approach of the Germans. The town was captured on August 29, 1941, and any remaining Jews were murdered by the Germans and their Latvian collaborators. The below postcard depicts the main synagogue of Jelgava which aroused controversy due to its churchlike facade.
Spector, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, P. 571-72
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Copyright ©2002 Edward Victor