My ancestors moved into the city now called Jaunjelgava in the first third of the 19th century. Therefore the history of this city’s community was especially appealing to me. For several years I was researching and collecting materials related to Jewish culture in Jaunjelgava and tried to conserve the monuments that up until now have given us memories of that Jewish city.

Sabile – a Latvian town in the region of Kurzeme (Yiddish - Schabeln, in German - Zabeln). After the German crusaders invaded Kurland and divided the conquered lands of Kurshi, the order of Livonia obtained Sabile. The first time Sabile is mentioned in the historical sources is during the year of 1253. During the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, a castle of order was built in Sabile, around which a small village started developing and was given in the chronicles in the year 1462

For many years I collect information about Tukum Jewry. At the request of the historian Dove Levin the most interesting data, among them the testimonies of eyewitnesses and my personal observations were passed to the “Yad-va-Shem” memorial. Some information, not a great part of the whole, was included in the fundamental book of Dov Levin “Jewish Communities of Latvia and Estonia”, edited in 1980. I am obliged to Dov Levin for the opportunity to include in my account many valuable data about formation and development of the Tukum Jewish community in the 13-19 centuries that I found in this book.

Вишки, местечко в 15 километрах на север от Двинска, или Даугавпилса, или Динабурга, города в Витебской губернии Российской империи