Cieniijamie simpozija organizeetaaji un daliibnieki !
by Shulamite Breslere. A letter
(see below for the english translation)
Pirmo reizi apmekleeju Kuldiigu pirms 4 gadiem, ierodoties Latvijaa no ASV. Kuldiiga ir manas maates dzimtaa pilseeta, kur Shepshelovicu gimene bija dziivojusi paaudzeem.Peec manas maates atminaam, dziive pirms 2.pasaules kara bija mieriiga un klusa, idilliska, kaut arii gimenes locekli smagi straadaaja, lai dotu beerniem iespeeju ieguut izgliitiibu.Viss satumsa, kad 1940 g. ienaaca krievi un manas maates maasa raudaadama nokrita uz gultas ar vaardiem: ,, Muusu dziivei ir beigas !”
Vina nezinaaja , ka vinu dziivei bus beigas gadu veelaak, kad ienaaca vaaciesi. Kaut gan gimenei bija iespeeja beegt uz Krieviju, mans vecteetins peedeejaa mirklii, jau staaveedams pie vilciena, teica : ,, Mees vienmeer ar muusu vaacu kaiminiem esam bijusi draudziigaas attieciibaas, mees runaajam vaaciski, esam tacu vieteejie, kurzemnieki, es nespeeju doties pie komunistiem uz Krieviju.Gan jau viss varbuut nebuus tik slikti.”
Sii likteniigaa kluuda, iistaas realitaates neizpratne maksaaja gimenei vinu dziiviibu.Izglaabaas tikai deels Zeligs, kurs studeeja Teerbatas universitaatee. Arii visa mana teeva gimene tika nosauti Riigas getto. Biezi domaaju par to, ka man nekad nav bijis vecmaaminu, vecteetinu, tantes, onkulu. Tos izniicinaaja vaaciesi, sucmani, aizsargi un Araaja kompaanijas
locekli.
Dziivoju tuukstosiem kilometru no Kuldiigas sinagogas, kuras uzcelsanai 19 gs. beigaas manas vecvecmaaminas braalis , filantropists Luis Hirshmans deva liidzeklus. Kad pirmo reizi ieraudziiju so pamesto celtni, teicu :
,,Kaads greeks, ka taada celtne iet bojaa !” Cilveeki, kuriem piedereeja sis
skaistais Dievnams, tika seit sadziiti un peec tam noslepkavoti.
Ir pienaacis laiks dot sai celtnei jaunu naakotni un meerki. Muusu pienaakums ir so celtni sargaat un cieniit. Soreiz kaa biblioteeku, kur cilveeki naaks lasiit graamatas, guut zinaasanas un varies apluukot eksponaatus telpaa, kura veltiita siis eekas veidotaajiem , Kuldiigas
noslepkavotajiem ebrejiem.
Es ceru, ka sii eeka ar jaunu naakotni iedvesmos skolotaajus maaciit beerniem par nacisma un komunisma noziegumiem, un par to, ka mums visiem, visiem nekad nav jaaaizmirst so reziimu upuri.
Pateicos jums visiem par juusu lielo darbu saa simpozija organizeesanaa, seviski Agnesei Kusmanei, kura mani iepaziistinaaja ar manu sencu
pilseetu – Kuldiigu.
Ja varbuut kaads no vieteejiem iedziivotaajiem atceras Sepshelovicu gimeni, buusu pateiciiga par jebkuru informaaciju.
Ar cienu,
Sulamite Breslere
Honorable Kuldiga symposium organizers and participants!
I first saw Kuldiga four years ago while visiting Latvia from USA.
Kuldiga is the town where my mother was born and spent her childhood and young adulthood. The Shepshelovich family had lived here for generations.
My mother remembers life in Kuldiga before second world war as peaceful, almost idyllic, despite hard work, as her parents struggled to help their children in their educational pursuits.
Everything came to a halt when in 1940 Soviet Russian tanks rolled into Latvia. My mother recalls her sister throwing herself on her bed, crying:
“Our life has ended!” Little did she know that their lives will indeed end a year later when the Germans occupied Latvia.
Although the family had an opportunity to escape to Russia, my grandfather
changed his mind when already about to board the train. He said: “ We
always had good relationships with our German neighbors, we speak German, we made it thru the first world war , and we are Kurlanders. I cannot bring myself to go to communist Russia. Everything might not be as bad as people say.”
This fatal decision, limited information and inadequate understanding of events, cost the family their lives.
My father’s family perished in the Riga ghetto as well. Sometimes I think
about the fact that I never had neither grandmothers nor grandfathers, aunts or uncles, and wonder how many cousins would there be today, had they survived.
All of them were slaughtered by the Nazis and eager to kill Latvian special forces “working” hand in hand.
I live thousands of miles away from the Kuldiga synagogue. My relative,
Louis Hirshman, the local philanthropist contributed generously toward the building of this synagogue. When I first saw it, I said:” What a sin that such a beautiful building is dying !” People who owned this beautiful house of worship where herded here like cattle and slaughtered.
Despite everything, this building survived to have a new purpose and future. It is our duty to guard and respect this building, this time as a library, which will serve as a source of education and inspiration. A place where people will have an opportunity to quietly reflect on some of the exhibited material
comemmorating the murdered Jews of Kuldiga. It should serve as a source of education for the young generation of Kuldiga who must know about the crimes of Nazi and communist dictatorships. It is our shared responsibility to never forget the victims of these regimes.
I would like to extend my gratitude to you for all your efforts to organize this symposium, especially to Agnese Kusmane, who introduced me to the town of my ancestors.
I would also like to thank Mr. Heinrihs Freimanis for sharing his vivid memories with me on the phone.
If anyone recalls the Shepshelovich family, I would be grateful for any information. You can forward it to Agnese Kusmane.
I am attaching two surviving photos.
1. My grandmother Nehama (Emma) Shepshelovich, early 20th cent.
2. My mother’s sister Paula (the tallest in the photo) with a friend.
Respectfully,
Shulamit Bresler
Sulamite Breslere
contact
Büro Schwimmer
Sven Eggers
Czarnikauer Straße 20, D - 10439 Berlin, Germany
++49 (o)3o 44 32 33 76 and ++49 (o)16o 16 888 24
sveneggers(at)buero-schwimmer(dot)de