Metadata: Latvian Aid and Charity Associations
Collection
- Country:
- Latvia
- Holding institution:
- Latvian State Historical Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Latvijas Valsts vēstures arhīvs
- Postal address:
- 16 Slokas Street, Rīga, 1048
- Phone number:
- +371 20 017 505
- Reference number:
- 1807
- Title:
- Latvian Aid and Charity Associations
- Title (official language):
- Latvijas palīdzības un labdarības biedrības
- Creator/accumulator:
- Latvian Aid and Charity Associations
- Date(s):
- 1780/1941
- Date note:
- mainly 1920/1940
- Language:
- Latvian
- Russian
- German
- Yiddish
- Extent:
- 942 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains documents of Latvian aid and charity associations. These are documents from various charitable organisations in Latvia that provided assistance to the poor, the disabled, the unemployed, widows, orphans and others in need. Charitable societies were located in different towns in Latvia. There were societies whose goal was to help everyone in need (for example, the Riga Charitable Society), and there were organisations that provided assistance to a specific group of needy united according to certain criteria – for example occupation (societies for helping teachers, merchants, artisans, peasants, etc.), denomination or religious community in the church (Lutheran, Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish), ethnicity, educational institution, etc. The number of documents preserved in the archive of each company is different and includes information about the creation and liquidation of the company, about the change of the name (if relevant), its charter, reports on activities, minutes of meetings, information about the members of the company, correspondence on organisational issues, cash books etc.
The collection contains documents of many Jewish charitable societies, whose assistance to those in need was very important, since 10% of Latvian Jews were poor. Examples include the Baltinava Jewish Charity Society (1927-1940), the "Hachnosas Kalo" Association (1928-1935), Gmiles Hesed Old Prayer House Association (1936 - 1940), the "Gmiles Hesed" Daugavpils Jewish Charity Society (1925-1940), the "Gmiles Hesed" Daugavpils Jewish Charity Association (1939-1941), the "Gmiles Hesed" Daugavpils Jewish Charity Association named after Rabbi Meir Simcha (1938-1940), the "Gmiles Hesed" Daugavpils Jewish Charity named after Rabbi Joseph Rosen (1939), the Daugavpils branch of "Hachnosas Kalo", the Women's Charity Society for Needy Brides and Women in Childbirth (1930- 1940), the Latvian Jewish Holiday Home Society (1937-1938), "Cooperation" Jewish Society (1931-1940), Latvian Jewish Workers' Association (1932-1937), Association of the Jewish War Disabled, Jewish Charity at the Synagogue (1926-1940), Jewish Socio-Economic Society (1940), Latvian Jewish People's University Promotion Society (1922-1924), Kuldiga Jewish Relief Society (1938-1940), Kuldiga Association of Poor Jews (1938-1941), Liepaja Jewish Clothing Supply Society (1937-1940), "Bet Lehem" Liepaja Jewish Charity Society (1933-1939), "Moshav Zkeinim", Liepaja Jewish Shelter Maintenance Association (1935-1939), "Esra" Liepaja Jewish Women's Association (1909-1940), Liepaja Jewish Bridal Assistance Society (1938-1940), "Linas Hacedek" Liepaja Relief Society for Poor and Sick Jews (1934-1940), "Zauvchei Schoimrei Hadat", Second Liepaja Jewish Butchers Mutual Assistance Association (1928-1935), Rezekne United Jewish Charity Society (1928-1938), Rezekne Jewish Charity Society (1933-1940), "Gmiles Hesed" Riga Jewish Congregational Relief Society (1919-1941), Riga Jewish Charity Relief Society (1928-1941), "Cdoko Gdvilo" Riga Jewish Charity Society (1828-1940), "Chevre Mishne" Riga Jewish Charity Society (1936-1941), "Benefit" Riga Jewish Charity Society (1908-1941), "Friend of the Needy" Riga Jewish Charity Society (1929-1940), Riga Jewish Shelter Association (1906-1914), Riga Jewish Women's Relief Society (1924-1941), Riga Jurmala Jewish Society for Assistance to the Needy (1931-1939), Varaklani Jewish Charity Society (1939-1940).
For example, the purpose of “Benefit”, the Riga Jewish Charity Society (founded by Belarusian Jews) was to provide needy Jews with medical and financial assistance, provide them with jobs and the necessary tools, and issue interest-free loans.
- Archival history:
-
After World War II materials from the interwar period, along with earlier materials, were part of the Central State Archive of the Latvian SSR. In 1962 it was decided to reorganise the archive and it was renamed the Central State Historical Archives of the Latvian SSR. Materials predating the period of Soviet rule were deposited in this archive, predecessor of the current State Historical Archive.
The documents of many Jewish charitable societies are also preserved in the collection of the Latvian State Historical Archives in fonds no. 3724 - Press and Associations Department of the Ministry of Public Affairs. Also in this archive there are separate fonds of some of the above-mentioned charitable organisations, for example, fonds no. 3262 - Hachnosas Kalo Riga Jewish Society for Helping Needy Brides, fonds no. 1909 - Moshav Zkeinim Society, fonds no. 1906 - Malbish Arumim Society (Clothing Supply Society), etc.
- Subject terms:
- Aid and relief
- Aid and relief--Philanthropy and charity
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Jana Makarova
