Introduction

Latvia is one of the three tiny Baltic republics that were independent between the world wars and part of the Soviet Union from 1939 to 1991. It is situated between Estonia and Lithuania (the other two Baltic republics), and it borders Russia to the east. Latvian people constitute a slight majority of the nation's population; Russians make up one-third, while Belarussians, Ukrainians and Poles maintain much smaller constituencies. After a brief period of post-independence uncertainty, Latvia's economy has grown steadily since 1994, and the private sector is slowly blossoming. Latvia has never had strong ties with Russia: it became a Soviet republic under a pact Stalin made with Hitler, and the Soviet government made several attempts to "Russify" Latvia. Consequently, Latvian foreign policy is more oriented toward Europe than toward its former Soviet neighbors. Democratic institutions are relatively strong in Latvia. Elections have been freely and fairly contested, although the Communist and hard-line parties, following an attempted coup in 1991, have been banned. President Guntis Ulmanis has overseen the forging of ties to the West-including a pitch for future membership in NATO-and the successful removal of Russian troops from Latvian soil in 1994.

Jewish Life

Despite its small size (16,000), the Latvian Jewish community is very organized and supports several institutions. Riga, the capital, houses a synagogue, two Jewish day schools, a community center, a matzoh factory, and the only Jewish hospital in the former Soviet Union. The cities of Resekne, Kraslava, Ludza, and Daugavpils support smaller Jewish populations, but these communities have shrunk considerably recently due to emigration. The Council of Jewish Communities organizes Jewish life and interaction throughout Latvia. State television broadcasts Israeli programs once a month, and a bi-weekly Jewish Hour is aired on state radio. UCSJ is currently in the process of opening the Baltic-American Bureau on Human Rights.

Antisemitism and Government Response

The Latvian constitution protects freedom of religion, which is largely respected by the state and the courts. In 1990, the government declared its "Condemnation and Impermissibility of Genocide and Antisemitism in Latvia," a document that admits Latvia's participation in the Holocaust and states intolerance toward "any manifestation of antisemitism and ethnic discrimination." Furthermore, Latvia has full diplomatic relations with Israel. Nevertheless, there exist some influential ultranationalist and fascist factions, some with representatives or sympathizers in Parliament and government. The ultranationalist Popular Movement of Latvia received 15% of the vote in the 1995 general elections. It is led by Joachim Siegerist, a German fascist with strong ties to antisemitic groups; he is also wanted in Germany, where he was convicted of racial incitement against the Romanies [Gypsies]. Some politicians have tried to rehabilitate Nazi sympathizers who fought against Russian domination. Latvian society in general is reluctant to admit its role in the extermination of Jews, and those who participated in World War II atrocities now receive government pensions. Many Jews have had difficulty obtaining Latvian citizenship. The citizenship laws require settlement in the country before 1940-the year of Soviet occupation-whereas many Jews came to Latvia afterward, mainly as part of the USSR's "Russification" strategy in the smaller republics. The citizenship exam is given in Lettish, a difficult language for Russian speakers to learn, particularly the elderly. Citizens enjoy many more rights than do non-citizens, including those of assembly and association, voting, and buying land. There are also obstacles toward recovering properties once owned by Jews or the Jewish community but confiscated by either the Nazis or the Soviets. According to Rabbi Glazman, of 24 Jewish buildings in Riga that should be returned, the Latvian government has only returned four.

Selected Antisemitic Incidents

On May 6, 1995, a bomb thrown from a passing car exploded in the Peitava synagogue, damaging the interior-including the Torah scrolls-but not resulting in injuries. The bombing occurred on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, which was commemorated by the laying of flowers at a Jewish mass grave by the president. A communist group claimed responsibility. President Ulmanis expressed his sorrow and pledged to apprehend the bombers; Prime Minister Maris Galis called the act "barbarian." In February 1995, Lyudmila Kipnis, a Jewish woman, was transferred from her job as an economist at a Riga textile factory to the position of janitor. Because of the newly enacted citizenship laws, she could not find another position. In March 1995, the Latvian newspaper Yaupius Laiks published an article that read, "The Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC is a museum of holo-mockery and Kikish brainwashing. Let's destroy the Holocaust Museum by bombing. Let's do another Holocaust!" In 1994, Edvin Yanson published a major article in Yaupais Laiks that claimed that Jews and "Jewish hybrids" run the world, concluding that hybrid Jews are responsible for criminal behavior and suggesting a Nazi-style order to correct these problems. Though Nazism is illegal in Latvia, Yanson was never charged for this view.

Human Rights

Latvia has generally adhered to standard democratic practices since its independence in 1991. Elections have been deemed fairly contested. The judiciary is independent of the executive branch, and criminal defendants have many rights to ensure fair trials. Freedom of the press is generally respected: government censorship is illegal, and several privately owned media enjoy broad readerships. There are some restrictions on assembly and association. Non-citizens may not form political organizations, and they have been repeatedly denied government permission to demonstrate. Communist and Nazi organizations are not recognized by the state.

History of Jews in Latvia

Jews first settled in western and central Latvia in the sixteenth century. Jewish communities grew in Riga and other cities, and by the beginning of the twentieth century, the Latvian Jewish population reached 200,000. In the 1920's, Jewish bankers were instrumental in resurrecting Latvia's post-World War I economy. But 90% of Latvia's Jews perished in the Holocaust, many by Latvian nationalists before the German invasion. Several synagogues were destroyed; Of 63 synagogues built in Riga before the Nazi occupation, only one survives today. After the war, the Stalinist regime forbade discussion and research of the Holocaust.

Conclusion

The Jews of Latvia are, for the most part, protected by a democratic constitutional regime that upholds freedom of religion and that formally dissuades fascist and antisemitic activity. President Ulmanis's administration has made clear its condemnation of antisemitism and has reached out to Israel and the national Jewish community. Until the Peitava synagogue bombing, antisemitism had been largely minor and limited to fringe politicians and extremist media. But as the bombing painfully demonstrated, there is a strong nationalist strain in the country, one that has issued increasingly violent rhetoric over the past few years. Jews worldwide should be watchful of Latvia, particularly if the nationalists gain state power in future elections.

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