Friday, May 23, 1980 21
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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'Journey Into Terror: Story of Riga Ghetto'
By ALLEN WARSEN
Gertrude Schneider's
"Journey Into Terror: Story
of the Riga Ghetto" (Ark
House) is a chronicle of a
unique community.
an
Schneider,
Dr.
authority on the Holocaust,
reconstructed the events
that had transpired in the
ghetto of the Latvian capi-
tal from Dec. 10, 1941 when
the first transport of Jews
arrived there until Nov. 2,
1943 when the ghetto was
liquidated.
Divided by barbed wire
into two distinct subdivi-
sions, Germ'an and Lat-
vian, the Riga Ghetto was
ocated near the Rumbula
nd Bikerniek forests. This
location was chosen in ac-
cordance with Nazi policy of
establishing ghettos in the
eastern territories con-
quered from the Russians
close to forests "as ideal
sites for wholesale murder."
The first German
Jewish arrivals in the
Riga Ghetto were from
Cologne. They were fol-
lowed by the other Jews
from Germany. Austria
and Czechoslovakia.
These Jews were mostly
middle class people: shop-
keepers, teachers, lawyers,
physiCians, and musicians.
Among the deportees were
"non-Aryan" Catholics. Ac-
cepted neither by the Jews
nor by the Germans, they
"were a marginal element
in the ghetto."
Living quarters were as-
signed by the "Houskom-
mendant" (house comman-
der), who was also responsi-
ble for maintaining sanit-
ary conditions in the ghetto.
The quarters were cramped:
one room for 12 or more per-
sons. Naturally, there was a
lack of privacy and a great
deal of irritation.
As in other ghettos, the
inmates in the Riga Ghetto
were forced to wear Stars of
David on their clothes: the
Germans on their chests,
the Latvians also on their
backs.
It is inconceivable that
under such desperate
conditions the German
Jewish inmates would
consider themselves
superior to the "Ostju-
den" from Latvia; and the
Latvian Jewish inmates
would suspect the Ger-
man Jews of being fa-
vored by the Nazis. Even-
tually, both groups
realized that to the SS be-
asts all Jews were alike.
It should be stressed that
the German murderers
were assisted by Latvian
Jew-haters. The most
notoriou's Latvian Nazi,
Captain Boleslays
Maikowskis, sentenced to
death in absentia by a Riga
court, has been living in the
United States in comfort,
peace and security since
1950.
Activities in Society
Mr. and Mrs. Chaim to California. The party was
Schwartzberg of Tel Aviv, sponsored by Chabad
Israel, were in Detroit re- Lubavitch, an organization
cently as the guests of Mrs. for which Mrs. Ruch, and
Bernard Chase of Oak Park. her late husband Robert,
The Schwartzbergs met have been active in support-
with acquaintances from ing. Mrs. Ruch has been a
their native town of Vla- member of Michigan's
Chabad Executive Commit-
dimir.
* * *
tee for a decade and in 1975
Dr. Gerald A. Teller, with her husband dedicated
superintendent of the the Robert and Pearl Ruch
United Hebrew Schools, Restaurant in the Univer-
and a group of UHS faculty sity of Michigan Chabad
members participated in a House. Irwin I. Cohn pre-
special conference on the sented Mrs. Ruch with a
"Teaching of Zionism and plaque "in recognition of
Israel." The conference her efforts on behalf of Yid-
was under the sponsorship dishkeit, on behalf of Israel
of the World Zionist Organ- — the people and the land —
ization, the Jewish Na- and on behalf of Chabad-
tional Fund and the Ameri- Lubavitch."
can Association for Jewish
Education. Dr. Teller led a JNF Urges: Plant
session on implementing
the teaching of Zionism and Trees for Father
Israel in afternoon schools.
The Greater Detroit
Detroit participants in- Jewish National Fund
cluded: Sarah Friedman, suggests planting trees as
Shula Fleischer, Menachem gifts for Father's Day, this
Glaser, Rochel Millen and year to be observed June 15.
Hanan Weizman.
A certificate will be
* * *
mailed to the honoree or can
Sam Rudin of Southfield be picked up at the JNF
will be tendered a party at office, 27308 Southfield.
Stafford's Restaurant in the
For information, call the
Orchard Mall Sunday on JNF, 557-6644.
the occasion of his 75th
birthday. On hand to help Merit Scholars
celebrate will be his chil-
Three Oak Park residents
dren, Dr. and Mrs. Neil
Rudin of Buffalo, N.Y. Fam- were among the Michigan
ily and friends also will join high school seniors who won
$1,000-$6,000 scholarships
the festivities.
in the National Merit
*
Pearl Ruch recently was Scholarship competition
treated to a farewell party this year.
The three are Richard
in the home of Emma
Lazaroff-Schaver on the oc- Demak, Robert Jacobson
casion of Mrs. Ruch's move and Allan Redstone.
WALTHAM, Mass. — awarded to some 900 stu-
In another incident, a Artur Rubinstein, Concert dents during the cere-
group of brave inmates for pianist and author Elie monies, at which Wiesel
months had planned a Wiesel will be among eight will be the principal
ghetto uprising. Unfortu- • persons to receive honorary speaker.
nately, the Nazis discovered degrees when Brandeis
Buy-Sell-Trade
the plot, uncovered an arse- University celebrates its
nal of guns, including a 29th commencement here
cannon and "maps of Sunday.
Undergraduate
and
strategic points to be at-
graduate
degrees
will
be
tacked," and found a list of
Will come to you
the conspirators, 42 of
Better three hours early
9 a.m.-9 p.m. 288-5427
whom they machine- than one minute late.
gunned.
Of the 20,000 German,
Austrian and Czech Jews
Heating and Air Conditioning Sales & Service
in the Riga Ghetto "ap-
proximately 800 sur-
Alan R. Sukenic Contractor
vived. Among them were
356-3191
the author, her mother
and her sister."
In addition to the text,
"Journey Into Terror: Story
of the Riga Ghetto," con-
tains 16 pages of photo-
graphs, a comprehensive
bibliography and a list of
Almost a quarter of a century of
survivors.
supplying discriminating buyers has
The author, Dr. Gertrude
earned an unequaled reputation for
Schneider, was born in Vie-
Miami Pools.
And, if you purchase a pool from Miami, we'll give $150.00
nna. During World War II
to your Temple or Synagogue.
she spent four years as a
You are cordially invited to visit our beautiful indoor dis-
prisoner of the Nazis, three
play at 33060 Northwestern Highway at Fourteen Mile Road.
in Riga and one in Stutthof
15 Yr. financing available
concentration camp near
ROA Ai,
Danzig. Currently she is
33060 Northwestern Highway SOUTHFIELD OFFICE: 358-0012
professor of history, science
BLUE WATER
West Bloomfield, Michigan
POOL
ROMEO, MI. OFFICE: 752-6333
and mathematics at For-
626-5131
Ornt- • -.
dham University and the
City College of New York.
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GERTRUDE SCHNEIDER
Despite fear and danger,
the ghetto's young people
conducted clandestine
Zionist activities and
dreamt of emigrating to
Palestine. In addition, with
the consent of the
authorities, the inmates es-
tablished schools for the
children, organized a wel-
fare office and maintained a
hospital and an illegal
clinic. Abortions were per-
formed in the latter since
giving birth to children was
punishable and new-born
children were murdered by
the Nazis. One of the physi-
cians was Dr. Vladimir
Mintz, who had treated Le-
nin.
Also with official permis-
sion, the inmates organized
soccer games, staged
dramatic performances and
presented musicals and
concerts. The musicians in-
cluded the Latvian violinist
Brandt and the Viennese
concert violinist Emil
Eichenbaum. The latter's
wife "Gertrude maintained
that only the violin could
make him forget that he
was hungry and that he was
a prisoner under conditions
unbearable for a sensitive
artist."
Though "verboten,"
marriages, solemnized by
marriage rings produced
in the ghetto, took place.
"Where the partners
managed to survive the
war, many of these ghetto
marriages have endured
to this day."
Notwithstanding threats
and terror, there were in the
ghetto instances of heroism
and defiance. Rudolf Lange,
the butcher of Latvian
Jewry, asked 22-year-old
inmate' Horst Wertheim to
select 10 men as hostages
"who were to die in atone-
ment for the escape of two
boys." Wertheim "In a clear
voice, audible to the more
than 1,000 emaciated men
standing at attention, said
to Lange: Sir, let me be the
first hostage. The other nine
you will have' to pick out
yourself!' "
Kommendant Krause
sentenced two young Lat-
vian Jews to death for
smuggling cigarettes into
the ghetto. One of the con-
demned men asked to be
permitted to smoke a last
cigarette. Krause con-
sented. "As the cigarette got
smaller, the young Latvian
Jew pointed to the ashes,
flicked them off, and said to
Krause: 'You see, one day
Germany will crumble just
like these ashes!' "
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