28
Friday, June 4, 1982
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
AUMS,Q9191g
LEARNING g
DISABILITIES
r-T , PROVEN METHOD
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Zelma Sussman, M.A.
Certified Teacher
Recommended by Drs.,'
Schools and Colleges
626-2727
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A Memoir of the Destruction of the Riga Jews
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
"I rise from among you,
my silent martyrs, old men,
babies, fathers and
mothers, husbands and
wives, brothers and sisters,
brides and grooms, chil-
dren, youths. You were
slaughtered by the millions,
and you ordered me to tell
the living of what hap-
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pened. I hear your cries and
screams, the thousands-
strong thunder of your feet
running to the grave, your
last word:
" 'Remember!'
"I swear to you:
"I will tell them, the liv-
ing, everything — every-
thing that I saw . . ."
The above quotation is
from the foreword to "I
Survived Rumbuli,"
authored by Frida
Michelson, translated
from the Russian by Wolf
Goodman and published
by the Holocaust Library
(Schocken Books).
The memoir's opening
chapter, "The Beginning of
the Tragedy," is a vivid de-
scription of the life of the
Latvian Jews during the
first few days following the
Nazi occupation of Latvia.
As soon as the Germans
invaded the country, the
author informs, they for-
bade the Jews to associate
with gentiles, using Aryan
servants, shopping in non-
Jewish stores, being treated
by gentile doctors and walk-
ing on the sidewalks.
The beginning of Nazi
rule, the memorialist con-
tinues, was accompanied by
atrocities and savagery.
Hundreds of Jews were
caught in the streets,
thrown into prison and
murdered.
The Nazis' main target
in those days were doc-
tors, lawyers, architects,
engineers and scientists.
When recognized, they
were shot on the spot. In-
credibly, "their Latvian
professional colleagues
were instrumental in
making identification
and most of them were
pleased with the turn of
events."
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At that time, too, the people vacated their "resi-
Nazis and their Latvian col- dences," the men were
laborators burned the coun- moved into the "Kaser-
try's synagogues. In some, nierungslager," a barbed
they assembled hundreds of wire area inside the ghetto,
Jews and burned them to- half of the other people were
gether with the structures. ordered to return to their
In one house of worship, "homes" and all the others
they burned Dr. Kilov, the were taken to the Rumbuli
internationally known Forest where they were ex-
rabbi. The savages even de- terminated and buried in
secrated the cemeteries.
graves prepared for them by
Like everywhere in Russian prisoners of war.
Nazi-occupied Europe, the
Shortly after the first
Latvian Jews were ordered murderous "Aktion," the
to wear the six-pointed Star remaining elderly, women
of David, made of yellow and children were marched
material and sewed on outer to the Rumbuli Forest
garments "in prominent where they were murdered.
places."
Luckily, the memorialist,
Even before the ghetto of who was in that group,
Riga was formed, the Nazis managed to hide beneath a
appointed a "Judenrat" (a pole of clothes. While still
council of Jews) to assist lying there, hardly able to
them in carrying-out their breath, at the conclusion of
diabolical schemes. But as "Aktion II," she overheard
soon as it was established, these conversations:
the Jews were forced to
(In Latvian) "Let's have a
move to the ghetto and the smoke, a fine performance."
gentiles living there to set-
"It was very efficiently
tle in the sections of the city organized."
from which the Jews were
"Just leave it to the Ger-
driven out. Thus 30,000 mans; they are good at it."
people were squeezed into a , "I hope we get our cut of
few narrow, dilapidated the booty. The Germans
streets.
have first choice."
Unexpectedly, a few
"There is enough for
days later, the Germans everybody."
abolished the ghetto and
(After a pause, in Ger-
notified the people that man) "Was suchst du
they would be resettled in dort?" (What are you
different camps: the el- looking there for?) "Ein
derly, women and chil- paar strumpfe fur meine
dren in one camp, and the frau." (A pair of stock-
able-bodied men in an- ings for my wife.)
other.
Mrs. Michelson could not
Actually, as soon as the remain in the forest; but
where to Pro was a problem.
Like the biblical Cain, she
became a refugee who was
wandering day and night,
begging people to let her
sleep over just one night.
With very few exceptions,
they would slam their doors
in her face.
After four-years of wan-
dering, living homelessly
one day at a time, and being
"the only one of more than
30,000 people to escape two
Aktionen," Mrs. Michelson
was liberated by the Rus-
sian army.
She and her family now
live in Israel.
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VISA'
Israel Pleased
by Visit of
EEC Official
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
The visit to Israel by Bel-
gium's Foreign Minister
Leo Tindemans, current
chairman of the Council of
Ministers of the European
Economic Community
(EEC), is regarded as a not-
able success by his Israeli
hosts.
Tindemans stressed that
European policy toward the
Middle East should be re-
evaluated in light of the
changes that have occurred
in the region since the
EEC's June 1980 Venice
declaration.
Foreign Minister Yitzhak
Shamir had high praise for
his guest's "encouraging
statements on autonomy
and the Camp David peace
process."
During his meetings
with Shamir and other
Israeli officials, the Bel-
gian diplomat said he
would suggest to his
European colleagues
that they formulate a new
declaration on the Mid-
dle East more sympathe-
tic toward the Camp
David process and
toward autonomy as the
first step in solving the
Palestinian problem.
He intimated that such a
step would replace the Ven-
ice declaration which sup-
ported self-determination
for the Palestinian people
and called for the "associa-
tion" of the Palestine Liber-
ation Organization in the
peace process.
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