Metadata : Aizpute rabbinate (Courland Province)
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
- 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:
- 4347
- Title:
- Aizpute rabbinate (Courland Province)
- Title (official language):
- Aizputes rabināts (Kurzemes guberņa)
- Creator/accumulator:
- Jewish Community of Aizpute
- Date(s):
- 1894/1906
- Language:
- Russian
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- 38 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The collection includes metrical books of the Jewish community of Aizpute (Gazenpot; Hasenpoth) which were maintained by “official” or so-called crown rabbis. The crown rabbis held the Russian government-mandated designation of rabbi and functioned as record keepers, Russian administrative representatives, and occasionally Jewish communal secular leaders. The metrical books in the collection consist of: books of registration of births from 1894-1897 and 1899-1906; books of registration of marriages from 1894-1905; books of divorces from 1894 and 1896; and books of registration of deaths from 1894-1905. Thus, the records contain information on the genealogy of Aizpute Jews, as well as brief data for studying the history of the Jewish family and demography. By exploring the metrical books, it is possible to study the Jews who arrived in the city from other places, as well as the inter-communal family ties of Jews in Aizpute. For instance, data on marriages contain information about the day and month of marriage, the ages of the bride and groom, including data on their origin from other cities, names and the social status (estate) of the parents, the names of witnesses and the amount specified in the ketubah (i.e. the amount of money the woman will receive from her husband in case of divorce or death). The death records contain the names of the deceased, date of death, age, place of death, place of burial, cause of death, and sometimes the social status (estate) and city of origin of the deceased. The birth records contain information on the date of birth and date of circumcision for boys, names of mohelim (circumcisers), the name of the newborn, names of the parents and social status (estate) of the father. The only book of divorces (from 1894) in the collection includes data on one divorce that was granted in the city. It includes the names of the spouses, their age, the date of the divorce, the reason for the divorce, the names of the rabbi and witnesses, and also who initiated divorce proceedings.
- Archival history:
- Records from different cities in Courland, including local materials from Aizpute (Gazenpot; Hasenpoth), were deposited in the Courland Provincial Archive in Jelgava Castle which was established in 1903. In the 1920s many of these materials were consolidated into the newly organised Latvian State Archive in Riga which existed throughout the interwar period. During the Second World War the Nazi occupation authorities searched for vital records of the Jewish population, and brought some of these records into archival custody. Metrical books of the Aizpute (Gazenpot; Hasenpoth) Jewish community from the period of 1854-1893 are kept in the fonds 5024 (collection of Latvian Jewish Rabbinate Metrical books) of the Latvian State Historical Archives.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Jews settled in Aizpute in the 16th century and since 1708 there has been a synagogue. In 1750, the Jews officially received the right to reside in the city, and a Jewish community with its own rabbinical court was established. In 1861 there were three synagogues in the city. At the end of the 19th century there was one state school and one private Jewish school for boys in addition to heders and a Talmud-Torah. In 1897 1,170 Jews lived in Aizpute, which accounted for 35% of the total population of the city. At the end of 19th century the crown rabbi of the community was Zvi-Hirsch Nuroсk and later Moishe Jakobson.
- Finding aids:
- For finding aids see the digital project Raduraksti of the Latvian State Historical Archives.
- 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
- Reference number:
- 4347
- Title:
- Aizpute rabbinate (Courland Province)
- Title (official language):
- Aizputes rabināts (Kurzemes guberņa)
- Creator/accumulator:
- Jewish Community of Aizpute
- Date(s):
- 1894/1906
- Language:
- Russian
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- 38 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The collection includes metrical books of the Jewish community of Aizpute (Gazenpot; Hasenpoth) which were maintained by “official” or so-called crown rabbis. The crown rabbis held the Russian government-mandated designation of rabbi and functioned as record keepers, Russian administrative representatives, and occasionally Jewish communal secular leaders. The metrical books in the collection consist of: books of registration of births from 1894-1897 and 1899-1906; books of registration of marriages from 1894-1905; books of divorces from 1894 and 1896; and books of registration of deaths from 1894-1905. Thus, the records contain information on the genealogy of Aizpute Jews, as well as brief data for studying the history of the Jewish family and demography. By exploring the metrical books, it is possible to study the Jews who arrived in the city from other places, as well as the inter-communal family ties of Jews in Aizpute. For instance, data on marriages contain information about the day and month of marriage, the ages of the bride and groom, including data on their origin from other cities, names and the social status (estate) of the parents, the names of witnesses and the amount specified in the ketubah (i.e. the amount of money the woman will receive from her husband in case of divorce or death). The death records contain the names of the deceased, date of death, age, place of death, place of burial, cause of death, and sometimes the social status (estate) and city of origin of the deceased. The birth records contain information on the date of birth and date of circumcision for boys, names of mohelim (circumcisers), the name of the newborn, names of the parents and social status (estate) of the father. The only book of divorces (from 1894) in the collection includes data on one divorce that was granted in the city. It includes the names of the spouses, their age, the date of the divorce, the reason for the divorce, the names of the rabbi and witnesses, and also who initiated divorce proceedings.
- Archival history:
- Records from different cities in Courland, including local materials from Aizpute (Gazenpot; Hasenpoth), were deposited in the Courland Provincial Archive in Jelgava Castle which was established in 1903. In the 1920s many of these materials were consolidated into the newly organised Latvian State Archive in Riga which existed throughout the interwar period. During the Second World War the Nazi occupation authorities searched for vital records of the Jewish population, and brought some of these records into archival custody. Metrical books of the Aizpute (Gazenpot; Hasenpoth) Jewish community from the period of 1854-1893 are kept in the fonds 5024 (collection of Latvian Jewish Rabbinate Metrical books) of the Latvian State Historical Archives.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Jews settled in Aizpute in the 16th century and since 1708 there has been a synagogue. In 1750, the Jews officially received the right to reside in the city, and a Jewish community with its own rabbinical court was established. In 1861 there were three synagogues in the city. At the end of the 19th century there was one state school and one private Jewish school for boys in addition to heders and a Talmud-Torah. In 1897 1,170 Jews lived in Aizpute, which accounted for 35% of the total population of the city. At the end of 19th century the crown rabbi of the community was Zvi-Hirsch Nuroсk and later Moishe Jakobson.
- Finding aids:
- For finding aids see the digital project Raduraksti of the Latvian State Historical Archives.
- 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
