Latvijas Vēsturnieku komisijas raksti - 23.sējums

Aigars Urtāns. Ebreju īpašumu ekspropriācija Ludzas un Madonas apriņķī vācu okupētajā Latvijā
property of the murdered Jews. The research in the Ludza and Madona districts, which is
the supplement to former researches on the Holocaust in these districts, is focused on the
following two aspects of the problem: administrative mechanism run by the state by which
the property and estate of the Jews were expropriated and became the property of the
local authorities and at the disposal of the ruling Nazi occupation, and individual initiatives
to plunder the property of the Jews the reason of which was mean instincts, low moral and
greed of many degraded individuals.
Characteristic of the actions against the property and real estate which had belonged
to the Jews during the time of Nazi occupation was plunder that started at the beginning
of July 1941 in Ludza and Madona districts like elsewhere in Latvia. In Ludza it started
as soon as the Soviet Army and the state officials had left the town – at the beginning of
July 1941. This reminded marauders, since the shops and flats left by refugees, including
the Jews, were burgled first. In Kārsava town the Jews were burgled not only by the local
self-defence men but also by the solders of the German Army. These events were characterised
by fierce brutality and there were the first victims. Some of the Jews attempted
to regain human dignity by resisting, which cost them lives.
At the beginning of 1941, the Jewish refugees who had not managed to evacuate to
the East and were detained by the self-defence men were plundered in Ludza and Madona
districts. They were deprived of all valuables and money before being sent to the places
of deportation.
Looting of the Jewish property continued in Ludza and Kārsava even after the ghetto
was established. The same happened also in the Madona District towns Madona and
Gulbene. Quite often the opportunity to obtain the belongings, especially valuables, which
had been owned by rich Jews was among the main reasons for voluntary self-defence
men to take an active part in arresting the Jews.
During the time of segregation of the Jews from the rest of the society, formal legal
expropriation of their property took place according to the rules, which stated that the Jews
were allowed to take with them only part of their belongings when being moved to the ghetto
or other special places of deportation leaving all the rest of their property in their dwelling
places. Thus, a lot of valuable things were left in their houses which “attracted” not only
self-defence men but also many city dwellers.
During the massacre of the Jews, the money and valuables taken from them were
embezzled by people committing the crime – local self-defence men (the guards) and Arājs
Commando killers.
Orders concerning the Jewish property and estate were issued only after the first
wave of robberies. It was stated that all the belongings and property of the Jews should be
enlisted and stored by the local authorities. According to these rules, the local authorities
took possession of all the property left by the Jews, including real estate. Consequently,
decisions were taken on the management of this property.
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