My Trip to Latvia – 2009

Leizer and Genrich Dumesh very kindly took me to see the places where some of my cousins lived before and during the war in Riga.

Jossel Dumesh, son of Wulf-Kushka, lived a Kr. Barona Street 40, apt 20 before the war.  This is what it looks like now.

Kr.Barona 40, Riga

Genoch Novoselock was the son of Mowcha Novoselock, who was the brother of my great-grandmother Scheina Freida Novoselok Dumes (Sadie Silk Dumes in America).  So Genoch was Sadie’s nephew.  He lived at Pushkin Street 1 until 1941 and then at Avotu Street 22.  Genoch was in the Red Army, and so was not forced to live in the ghetto, and he survived the war.  I’m still looking to see if I can find any descendants.

Pushkin 1. This is the rear of the building. The front has a Soviet era facade.

Avotu 22

Jossel Dumesh, his wife Dina, daughter Baschewa and sister Mnucha-Liba lived at Stabu Street 72, apt 2 with the family of Leib-Wolf Dumes.  Leib-Wolf was Jossel’s older brother.

Jossel Dumesh

Dina Ran Dumesh

Jossel’s father was Schender Dumesh, who was a brother of my great-grandfather Chaim Dumesh. So Jossel was my grandfather’s 1st cousin. Chaim had another brother, Jossel-Leib Dumesh. Jossel-Leib had a son named Nota, who is the grandfather of my cousin Julia in Daugavpils.

Stabu 75

After Sept. 24th 1941 Dina and Baschewa were registered as living at Katolu Street 2, apt. 7 in what was the Jewish ghetto of Riga, where Jews were moved until authorities could determine what they wished to do with them.  The museum “Jews in Latvia” keeps the lists of Central prison’s inmates, set up on August 4 of 1941, where Jossel Dumes was registered under Nr. 249.  After Oct 7, 1941 Mnuhca-Liba lived at Ludzas 11-10 in the ghetto with Leib-Wolf’s family.  Dina’s fate is unknown.

Katolu 2

I need to talk for a bit about the Jewish Ghetto of Riga.  The area is not far from the main city, but it has changed very little since the war, and it is a very sad and dangerous place.  I don’t think that Genrich and Leizer had ever been there, and Genrich said that he certainly would not have gone there at night.  Even in the daytime, they usually stayed in the car while I stepped out to take the photos.  The people that live there are in abject poverty: dirty, dressed in rags, with the appearance of animals.  It is much worse than any of the disturbing images you might see of the Great Depression in America.  There are ghosts in the Ghetto of Riga, to be sure.  They are not unfriendly ghosts, but they suffered greatly and their voices cry out as one stands there.

A little earlier in Dec 1940,, before things got bad in Riga, Leib-Wulf’s family was living at Jumaras Street 18, apt. 6, but after 1941, they lived at Ludzas Street 11-10 with Jossel and Dina’s child.  There is nothing left at Ludzas Street to photograph.

Jumaras 18

Leib-Wulf was still alive on July 20 of 1942 when he was registered in the lists of Jews – forced labourers of Missa Torfwerk (peat factory), his address in ghetto that time was Vilanu Street 16-2, and his occupation was as a glazier. There is also nothing left at Vilanu Street 16.  It was in the ghetto of Riga.