http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Liepajalat/Liepajalat.htm [October 2000]

Jewish Community of Liepaya, 21 Kungu St., Liepaya, Latvia

VIDEO: Liepaja (Libau)-Vilnius-Gargzdai (Gorzhd)-Klaipeda (Memel) (396KB) - From amber town, windy sea-port Libau .. to Lithuanian capital Vilnius, see Jewish sites of Gargzdai, from there came to Baltic sea town Klaipeda/Memel. [March 2009]

VIDEO:  Jewish Libau (216KB) - Legendary sea-port, through which 500,000 Russian Jews started their way to USA, South Africa, Western Europe and Eretz Isroel. Lovely old buildings, the interview with the leader of local Jewish community in perfect English and with Holocaust survivor Mrs. Zivtson in Yiddish and German. The cemetery... the sea. [March 2009]

The old cemetery found in the beginning of the 19th century no longer exists. In June 1994, we were taken to the main (probably only) cemetery in the town, where an older lady was caretaker. Told that we wanted to see the Jewish section, she was quite gracious. We walked quite a distance until we came to an area that had been cleared and paved as a plaza, with a large stone engraved with a Jewish Star. This was erected after the Russian occupation ended and financed by contributions from Jews in Europe, Israel, and America. Behind this was a large area heavily overgrown with weeds, with most of the Tombstones either fallen over or at angles. We could see that the inscriptions were in Hebrew. She then led us to a newer section adjoining this area, where there were new stones erected, with attractive landscaping. The newest stones had no Hebrew inscriptions. There was nobody left knowledgeable in Hebrew. I have some pictures. Source: Harvey S. Sussman phone: 561-499-7766; Fax 561-498-8444; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

In relatively good condition, about 500 tombstones remain. Contact cemetery caretaker: Mr. Agris Furmanis, Dzerves Street, Liepaja, Latvija. His phone number is 35-268. Write to him in Latvian, Russian, or German. Between 25 and 36 books remain that record all the burials from 1909 until current time. Aleksandrs states he could copy the books for a minimum of $150 to $200. The cemetery is combined with a Christian cemetery and reasonably well maintained, although hardly any Jews are left in the city. There are several hundred stones. The cemetery was unharmed by the war. Burial records exist in the cemetery office. Jewish burials end in 1941. Sources: Rick Bercuvitz This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We asked to be taken to the grave of an uncle who was buried there in 1935. Mr. Furmanis was able to find the grave location through his records and sent an assistant to take us to the place. He charged $10 for this service. His records do not show burials by dates, just names, section, row and place numbers of the graves. Each grave is supposed to have a number engraved somewhere on the gravestone. Our grave did. He also gave us a list of all the Hirschhorns buried there. The correct telephone number is 34 35268, His business card shows the following minus the language marks which are not on my keyboard: "Sandris Furmanis / Livas kapsetas parzinis / Beru organizesana / Neseju pakalpojumi / Kapu labiekartosana / Kapakmenu izgatavosana un uzstadisana." A woman visiting the cemetery gave us the name of Elana Ivanova as chairwoman of the Leipaja Jewish community, who has an office in the Hotel Amrita. (the Jewish community or some other purpose?) We did not contact her as although we had stayed at the hotel. Information on the hotel stationery is as follows: Hotel Amrita, R/Nr: LV52103015131; Rigas iela 7 LV340l Liepaja, Latvija, (+371) 34-80888 (+371) 34-80444 PAREX BANKA / Ls #: 7002062147. Updated in 1999 by Sandra and Donald Hirschhorn; Fax: 561-883-3253, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

UPDATE: "The Liepaja Jewish cemetery was neglected but not greatly vandalized during the German and Soviet occupations (1941–45 and 1945–1991). Several burial record books survived and ended up in custody of the 1991 cemetery warden, Mr. Agris Furmanis. The Liepaja Cemetery Administration reclaimed the most recent books, covering the period 1909–1941, and made copies available to the Jewish Community of Liepaja. ... Ilana Ivanova, former head of the Community, ... Only Book 1, listing 3564 names and death dates (including 5 between 1905 and 1908), has been transcribed thus far..." Source: http://www.ej-anders.com/users/xenon2/cem/CemIndex.htm [May 2002]

Burial list [March 2009]

Jewish cemetery in Liepaja was huge and very overgrown.Most gravestones were so overgrown they couldn't be read. Moving about was difficult due to the vegetation. The memorial at Skede, where the largest killing took place nearby. The site is difficult to find, near the Baltic Sea in a grove of trees with a memorial stone. [March 2009]