Small Riga Ghetto

50
thing happened bchipozoin (in haste). We were not allowed to take along large
pieces of furniture, only at most our beds, small cupboards and the like.
Now people packed only the essentials, and everything else was left behind.
Some people sold their things for practically nothing, and still others were paid
nothing whatsoever for them. The Latvians allowed nothing at all to be taken
out of certain houses.
The streets leading to the ghetto were jammed with small wagons carrying
household goods. The Russian population moved in one direction toward the
city center, the Jews in the opposite direction into the ghetto.
Not only did the professional movers demand high prices from us, they also
took things away from us. In some cases they even took off with all of our belongings.
But whom could we complain to? Nobody was responsible for prosecuting
such incidents.
To "relieve" us further, the Latvians posted guards on Daugavpils Street and
other streets; they took away everything they could from us and beat us mercilessly
besides.
All of our weeping and screaming did not help us.
The hours were numbered and the ghetto had to be locked up.
The Large Riga Ghetto
(25 October 1941 – 30 November 1941)
I.
The hammers were beating loud and fast: the ghetto had to be ready by a certain
time!
The last hammer blows were heard at the Large Ghetto gate in Sadovnika
Street. The ghetto was finished on schedule.
A new city, a new world!
A world full of cares and suffering!
A world that nobody wants to understand or can understand.
The ghetto was locked and the guard duty was handed over to the Latvians.
They, our former neighbours, with whom we had built a shared life, now became
our worst enemies. The Germans had handed us over to them, and they
fulfilled all of the Germans' expectations.
***