Several pages in Yiddish about the history of Jews in Rezekne Latvia
from Rezekne Jewish Calendar-Almanach of 1939-1940.
I received these pages from Sasha Yafet (b. in Rezekne about 1920, lives in Israel since 1972).
The translation is from Mark Maimind, the descendant of Rabbi Aaron Azriel Yafet (b. about 1810 - d.1861) of Rezekne.
Max Rempel Myakishev 
The Jewish community of Rezekne.
1940
The historic panorama
Rezekne in the land of Latgallia, a beautiful town engulfed in green, standing on seven hills, has today one of the largest Jewish communities of Latvia and the second largest of Latgallia. The Jewish population, which consists of 5500 souls (according to the statistics of the Jewish community from 1922), lives here for many generations, takes an active part in the development of the town tying its fate with Rezekne for the last 150-175 years.
While the historical records – register books- of Rezekne can tell stories about bloody battles which took place on its land starting from 1558*, the ancient history of the Jewish settlement in Rezekne is a closed book which has vanished with the bygone years.
There are no records to know how old is the Yiddish Yishuv, and how long
exists Jewish communal life. The Pinkas (communal register book) of
Rezekne was not found. The Pinkas from the cemetery, which could tell a
lot, disappeared and there are no other documents.
According to all signs, however, the Jewish community of Rezekne is not younger than the town itself. When we take in account that the old rabbi of Rezekne – reb Azriel – who lived there for many decades, died a year ago and before him there was the first rabbi of Rezekne of the name Yaakov (the year when that rabbi appeared there is unknown and his grave cannot be found), one can assume that the Jewish community of Rezekne leads an organized communal life for the last 150-175 years.
That is when the Rezekne beth almin (cemetery) was founded and the Jews of Rezekne organized themselves according to the same pattern as all Jewish shtetlach at that time.
It is clear that Jews lived in Rezekne in earlier times. There are different assumptions about where the Jews buried their dead. One of them is that the dead from Rezekne were taken to nearby village of Makshani – 10 km from the town. There was at that time a decent size Jewish settlement with its own Beth Ha Midrash and a cemetery and it is where the Rezekne community was taking their dead. Due to frequent expulsions of Jewish population from the villages the settlement of Mokshani ceased to exist. The resettlement to Rezekne helped to increase the Jewish population there. There is an opinion that the Aron Ha Kodesh (where the Torah scrolls are kept) in the shtibl of the brick-laid Beth Ha Midrash comes from Mokshani.
Not many years ago the Korabelniki (wandering teams – arteli- of carpenters) were telling stories about tombstones with Jewish letters in the foundations of the peasant huts of that area. The peasants of those places had legends about people who became sick or paralyzed till they would not return the tombstones back to the cemetery. After that they would get well.
The old people were telling a story about the last man who was buried on the Makshani cemetery. He was a meshumad, a Nikolaevsky soldier, who returned secretly to Jewish faith, became a Baal Tshuva and studied in Rezekne synagogue. After he died (about 60 yeas ago) he was secretly buried on the old cemetery of Makshani, which was by that time closed for many years.
There is nothing left in that place now. According to the stories of the fathers of Rezekne, not a splinter of a tombstone can be found there. The entire field is ploughed over, and on its border three strangely twisted old trees are standing as mute witnesses to the vibrant life of the bygone years, which disappeared without trace leaving nothing to the memory.
Additions to the previous chapter.
When the chapter was already set for print we, by chance, have received the oldest document of the Rezekne Jewish community – the Pinkas ha Kehila (communal Register) from the year…. The first record in the Pinkas confirms the legend of Makshani. We found three records with the name Makshani in the period between 1786-1797. After that the name disappears.
In the register of incoming charity contributions – all of them from the year… - we find, for example, a phrase: “ ewe of Yom Kippur
– for the cemetery from our community – 14 kopecks’
– for the cemetery from the Makshany tavern – 22 kopecks.
In the income register from the year 1797 we find recorded:
- received 8 gilden (zloty) and 2 kopecks for yorzeit at the Makshani cemetery
In the expenses:
- 1/2 a ruble given by r’ Zvi Melamed for an orphan – son of Yehuda from Makshani.
The old records tell us that the connection of Rezekne Jews with Makshani was still strong. Apparently the new cemetery in Rezekne was chosen when the Makshani one was still open for burial, it was larger and (the burial?) cost 8 kopecks more. People kept the yorzeit memorials of the ancestors.
From the list of ordnances we know that there were two annual yerid gadol (yarmarka- market weeks). Taxes of a kopeck pre person “per week” were levied from every hevreman (merchants-participants?). A day before the end of the yerid the community leaders were requested to done from the morning their Shabbat garments and bring the best food they liked. Those payments brought to the community the highest of 9 gilders a month.
The siumim (end of the yerid) was celebrated as a holiday. They paid 12 ½ kopecks for a quart of branfn (vodka). Bred apparently was more expensive at ½ ruble for 20 pounds.
The list of books which belonged to the Bet Ha Midrash was very poor and, since the community calls itself the “ hevra mishnayot of the kehila kdusha (holy community) of Rezekne” (meaning - of the whole town), it is clear that no more Batei Midrash existed there.
In addition to Beth Ha Midrash there is a mentioning of Beth Ha Knesset (house of gatherings – synagogue) or a shul were people usually prayed only. It is mentioned there that the community erected an eruv in the synagogue for 8 gilden and 9 kopekcs.
It was forbidden to take out the books from the Beth ha Midrash . The ordnance says: “Do not take out books from the Beth Ha Midrash of our community, any book which belongs to the community as well as the Beth Knesset (synagogue)”. Whether the synagogue was located together with Beth ha Midrash is not clear.
The Pinkas mentions also rabbi Eliakim Getz Ha Levi who was among the 15 founders of the hevra mishnayot (the community). Rabbi Yaakov is not mentioned there. But it was established that rabbi Yaakov was there. He was the grandfather of rabbi Yitzhak Ehrelshtein (z’l), who died in 1912. Why Rabbi Yaakov is not mentioned in the Pinkas is not explained.
In any case the Pinkas confirms that the Jewish community of Rezekne started the communal life 160-170 years ago and its roots go back to the community of Makshani.
2.0 The first steps.
Dates and numbers. Old Beth Ha Midrash and first rabbi. Emigration to the southern provinces. Letter – complaint for the community of Rezekne. From Alexander I to Moses Montefiori.
As was mentioned before, the first period in the history of Resekne yishuv (settlement) is somewhat murky. The situation clarifies starting from 1802 when Rezekne became the county town (uyezdny gorod). The following numbers tell us how big that county town was. In the Resekne county there were in the year 1808, total, 14 Christian merchants and 8 Jewish ones, 204 Christian townsmen and 532 Jewish ones, excluding women. The entire little town consisted of 3000 people. It looked very sad and poor. Twisted little streets run from what is today Ludza street. They run into each other, occasionally cris-crossing themselves. On the other shore of the river, now the main part of town, stood a quiet birch tree forest. Young people were going for a walk there on Shabbat and holydays.
The highway built in times of Nikolas I was not yet there. A little wooden house, which stood in the place of the modern Municipality building, served as a post-office.
As is known, the Rezekne Jews had then one Beth Ha Midrash - called the “old one” and also the “white one”. It stood at the Market place. It burned down and was rebuilt as a brick-house. The Jewish kehila was making then its first communal steps. The rabbinic seat was occupied then by rabbi Eliakim Getz.
Rezekne was very poor. The poverty was so deep that the Rezekne Jews were “walking away” to settle in the new colonies of Cherson and Ekaterinoslav provinces.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
… (missing part)….
…Jewish relief committee………was working with homeless…..work lead by renown Jewish writer-humorist Z.Venderov (?).
People made money on various types of war business and as everywhere…war prices…
….Rezekne was often “visited” by German airplanes and airplane … There were no losses in human life (no victims).
The Kerensky regime brought to life all components of Rezekne society. The newspapers were published by able people, who dedicated a lot of attention to Jewish questions. The renown Yiddish poet Nachman Dimanshtein debuted in the Rezekne’s newspaper.
The Jews took lively participation in different polls (elections), which took at that time place in Rezekne – such as the Municipal elections,.. and also to All-Russian Jewish Congress which was supposed to became the Foundation Congress of the Russian Jewry. The chairman of the Electoral Commission of Rezekne was rabbi Aharon Yehuda Shulman(z’l)
Strange as it may sound, Rezekne did not escape the scare of a “revolutionary pogrom”. Inciters were spreading the rumors that the Jews have hidden the flour leading to an increase in prices. Incited by the dark elements the soldiers rioted, broke into the warehouse of (YeKP?) were they found a forgotten cache of firearms and ammunition. Situation became dangerous with a real possibility of a violent pogrom with all the consequences. The towns Mayor, Dr Fedorov (?) has shown a great courage and actual self-sacrifice ordering the suppression of the rioting soldiers in their barracks. In the morning of June 11 1917 the city authorities issued a call condemning the “dark elements” which were inciting against the Jews.
The October coup was not felt much in Rezekne. The new authorities barely warmed up when, after few months, the town was occupied by the Germans. In several months of their rule, the Germans did not introduce any new “order”. All remained the same as it was. Except for the town Duma which swore in new members – Jews and Christians – who defeated (replaced) the representatives of the previous majority. Rezekne became separated from the rest of the world and the official…….
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notes:
* What happened in 1558 is not explained. Rezekne received the rights of a town in 1773.
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