2 Killing site(s)
Biruta S., born in 1931: "Before the shootings, the Jews were driven from their homes and assembled in one place. They were starving there, so my family would prepare food and leave it in a ditch for them. My father, who spoke both Yiddish and German, actually planned to help some of them escape through the forest. But the Jews were very obedient and accepted their fate. Some time later, they were killed in two nearby forests, including one called Greivas. During the first shooting, not only Jews were murdered, but also a number of local Russian and Belarusian activists. Fearing for our safety, my father warned us not to leave the house after certain hours and to keep all the windows closed. After the shooting, he went to check the forest and found a pit filled with shoes. He reckoned that around 100 Jewish victims had been killed there. Following the massacres, the perpetrators collected the victims’ belongings and later sold them on the outskirts of Līvāni." (Testimony N°YIU39LV, interviewed in Līvāni, on May 10, 2019)
Līvāni is located approximately 27 km (16.7 miles) southeast of Jēkabpils and 166 km (103 miles) southeast of Riga. The settlement was founded in the 16th century by a German landowner named Lieven.
According to the 1897 Russian Empire Census, Līvāni was home to 1,406 Jewish residents, who made up 52% of the town’s total population. Over the following decades, however, the
combined effects of war and revolution caused a significant decline in the Jewish population. By 1920, only 637 Jews remained in Līvāni, representing 33.3% of the population. The number rose again by 1935, when 981 Jewish residents were recorded, comprising 27.8% of the town’s total population.
The Jewish community in Līvāni was primarily engaged in commerce and artisanal trades, operating 44% of all local stores and workshops. These included 5 barbershops, 64 grocery stores, 8 butcher shops, 7 hardware stores, and 37 establishments selling textiles, ready-made clothing, dry goods, shoes, leather products, and hats. Many of these businesses were family-run and belonged to Jewish families such as Vapne, Kodesh, Shpungin, Zvein, Kadyshevich, Psavka, Burin, Latzvinsky, and Lieven. All 4 of the town’s pharmacies were also Jewish-owned. In addition to running local businesses, many Jewish merchants traveled through the surrounding countryside, offering a wide range of goods to rural residents.
Līvāni’s Jewish community was well organized and deeply rooted. The town had a Jewish cemetery, established in the mid-19th century, as well as two Jewish schools and four prayer houses. The community was also active in political life. During the 1933 elections for delegates to the 17th Zionist Congress, half of Līvāni’s Jewish population participated in the vote, reflecting a strong engagement in both religious and secular Jewish causes.
A turning point came in 1940, when Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union. Under Soviet rule, private businesses were nationalized and Jewish community institutions were closed, marking the beginning of a period of repression that would deepen with the German occupation the following year.
Līvāni was occupied by German forces in late June or early July 1941. Soon after, a new local administration was established, which included the formation of a Latvian Self-Defense squad.
In July 1941, all local Jews in Līvāni were arrested and confined under guard in the synagogue, where they were subjected to torture and humiliation. At the same time, their homes and property were looted. Despite the danger, some local residents brought food to the detainees, who were suffering from starvation.
Some Jews from Līvāni were deported to the Daugavpils ghetto, where they shared the fate of other prisoners held there. At least four Jewish boys managed to escape and took refuge at the Maksini farm; however, they were eventually discovered and executed. The remaining members of the Jewish community of Līvāni were murdered between July 26 and
September 4, 1941, during a series of eight mass executions (Aktions).
The first Aktion took place on the evening of July 26, 1941, when 100 Jews and 8 to 12 Soviet activists were taken to the Greivas Forest. There, they were stripped naked and shot in groups at the edge of a pre-dug pit. The first group of victims was executed by German soldiers “to set an example,” after which the remaining victims were killed by members of the local Self-Defense squad.
The second Aktion followed the next day, July 27, at the same location, where 70 more Jews were executed by the Self-Defense squad. The third Aktion occurred in August 1941, when 30 Jews were killed in the Steku Forest. The fourth, also in August, resulted in the execution of 20 Jews approximately 80m from the bank of the Daugava River, though the exact site remains unknown.
During the fifth Aktion, 20 Jews were murdered near the Graveri farm, about 0.5 km from the town. The sixth took place behind the fence of the Jewish cemetery, where 12 Jews were killed. The seventh Aktion, also at the Jewish cemetery, claimed the lives of 4 to 5 individuals. The eighth and final Aktion occurred between late August and early September 1941, when 5 to 6 Jews were killed in a park near the former Preilu Street.
After the destruction of the Jewish community in Līvāni, the perpetrators collected the victims’ belongings and sold them on the outskirts of the town.
In 1944, in the framework of Operation 1005, the Germans attempted to conceal evidence of their crimes by exhuming and burning the victims’ bodies at two killing sites: in the Greivas and Steku forests. During the Soviet period, monuments were erected at both locations to commemorate the victims.
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