Metadata: Courland governorate society affairs commission (Jelgava)
Collection
- Country:
- Latvia
- Holding institution:
- Latvian State Historical Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Latvijas Valsts vēstures arhīvs
- Postal address:
- Slokas iela 16, Rīga, LV-1048
- Phone number:
- +371 20 017 505
- Reference number:
- 420
- Title:
- Courland governorate society affairs commission (Jelgava)
- Title (official language):
- Kurzemes guberņas Biedrību lietu komisija (Jelgava)
- Creator/accumulator:
- Courland governorate societies affairs commission
- Date(s):
- 1793/1917
- Date note:
- Predominantly 1906/1915
- Language:
- Russian
- Extent:
- 709 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The collection contains papers, mainly from 1906-1915, relating to the activities of various public, political, educational, cultural, charitable, religious and other organisations on the territory of Courland governorate. A few dozen files in the collection contain Jewish-related materials. Most of them are documents referring to the activities of charitable societies in different cities of the governorate. These charities operated in different spheres. For example, some of them were engaged in the provision of donations to the poor Jewish population while others supplied interest-free loans or supported disadvantaged pupils and graduates of various educational institutions (male and female). Two files in the collection contain records of a society that was responsible for the maintenance of the Jewish asylum for the elderly in Libau (Liepāja) (inventory 1, files 317, 332). Some of the charitable organisations were women's societies. The collection also contains papers related to the activities of few political societies. These are: the Jewish Territorial Society (inventory 1, file 38) and the Zionist “Kadima” society in Libava (Liepāja) (inventory 1, file 195), the orthodox “Knesset Israel” society in Windau (Ventspils) (inventory 1, file 92) and in Talsen (Talsi) (inventory 1, file 98). Records of several Jewish cultural organisations, such as the Bauska Jewish Music and Literary Society “Hazomir”, are also included in the collection (inventory 1, file 414). In addition, the collection includes materials relating to the activities of Jewish funereal societies, and records of professional societies of mutual assistance of Jewish clerks, sellers and tailors. The collection also contains statutes of the societies, applications addressed to the Courland governor, reports of the local administration, complaints on the activities of the societies, commission journals, newspaper clippings, reports on the election of boards of the societies, extracts from the societies reports and more.
- Archival history:
- During the 19th century most of the Courland governorate records were kept in Jelgava (Mitava) castle. In the 1920s these materials were consolidated into the newly organised Latvian State Archive which existed throughout the interwar period.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- During the first Russian revolution of 1905-1907, freedom of association was achieved. Political and non-political organisations such as societies, unions and parties acquired the right for free activity. However, at the same time, a very significant part of the organisations, especially in the provinces, fell under the control of governorate administrations. In 1906 societies affairs commissions were established in governorates of the empire. They operated from 1906 to 1917 and consisted of governorate officials and local governors. The main responsibilities of the commissions included registering public organisations and monitoring their activities.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Ilya Vovshin, Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, 2018
