Jewish Community of Tartu

Collection description

Scope and content:: The collection includes books of civil records of the Jewish community of Tartu: birth records for 1861-99 (partial) and 1897-1926 (starting in June 1879); marriage records for 1906-26 (ending in June 1926); death records for 1906-1926; and divorce records for 1910 and 1912-18. Birth, marriage and death certificates from the years 1871-1920 can be also found in the collection, as well as verifications of family connections and other legal documents from 1905-19. Papers on health issues from 1914-20 are also part of the collection.

Archival history:: The civil record books were kept in the archive of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior until 2009, when they were transferred to the Estonian Historical Archives in Tartu. Additional previously unclassified material was added in 2014.

Administrative/biographical history:: The first Jewish communal institutions in Tartu were established c. 1860 with the creation of a burial society and the foundation of a Jewish cemetery. During the same period, Jewish residents, then comprised mostly of retired soldiers in the Russian army and their families, established a prayer room in a private house. Other communal institutions were established in subsequent years. A Jewish elementary school was established in 1875; it was later run with the active participation of Jewish students from the University of Tartu. A stone-built synagogue was erected in 1903; it was destroyed in 1944. After World War I, the local community was incorporated into the system of Jewish cultural self-government in Estonia and fostered thriving cultural, educational and social activities. The communal institutions were liquidated after the Soviet occupation in 1940.

Subject terms:: Health and medical matters; Jewish community; Jewish community records; Statistics; Vital records; Vital records--Birth records; Vital records--Death records; Vital records--Marriage records

Access, restrictions:: The collection is open for reference at the Historical Arсhives of Estonia, Tartu. For further data and online access (registration may be required), see the digital access system of the Estonian Archives.

Finding aids:: Basic data on the collection is available at the web portal of the National Archives of Estonia: http://ais.ra.ee, Detailotsing – Leidandmed – EAA.5413.

For additional data see: the description on funds ERA.2283, ERA.2284 (Jewish National Community of Tartu, Jewish Religious Community of Tartu), and the non-described collections: EAA.325, Tartu City Police; EAA.2623, Tartu City Board. For a photograph of the 1903-built synagogue see EAA.2073.2.263.

Yerusha Network member:: Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People

Author of the description:: Tatjana Schor, Historical Archives of Estonia, and Alex Valdman, Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, 2015