The Murder of the Jews in Latvia 1941-1945 (Jewish Lives) [Paperback]

Bernhard Press (Author), Laimdota Mazzarins (Translator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press; 1 edition (February 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810117290
• ISBN-13: 978-0810117297
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,504,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > History > Europe > Latvia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very thoroughly researched book, a testament to a modern hero, August 28, 2008

By 

C. G. Johnston (currently in New England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Murder of the Jews in Latvia 1941-1945 (Jewish Lives) (Paperback)

I consider this book a modern masterpiece on a subject still controversial and shameful to Latvians. His record of this black time in Latvia's history is packed full of very specific details including dates, names, and places.

This is a hard book to read for those people who believe that all Latvians were innocent victims of the USSR's
aggressions. While that is true for most Latvians, including my relatives, it is not true of all Latvians. Press exposes the role of the Riga police in rounding up Jews and the fact that everyone knew that their Jewish neighbors were dying in work camps. He also gives abundant evidence that the Aizsargi were not all noble
patriots fighting for Latvia; in fact, it seems that there were a good number of murderous thugs among them.

This was not an easy book for me to read. I read it while in Riga for the first time - it was very hard to admit
that such horrible things happened in a place that had had a magical aura for me for so many years. I think
Latvians, like Germans, must continue to reconcile themselves to seek the truth about our roots, no matter
what that means. Fortunately, we have an excellent guide in Dr Press.

6 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Less Than Objective, June 4, 2003

By 

John G. Cakars - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Murder of the Jews in Latvia 1941-1945 (Jewish Lives) (Paperback)

The author wants the book to be a memorial to all Jews that died on Latvian soil. In the "Preface to the English Edition," the author claims that Latvians, on the whole, are totally anti-Semitic. However, the origins of such beliefs cannot be determined. The author believes this to be true of the Latvians, during pre-WWII Latvia and the new Latvia of the 1990's. I wonder if things are so black and white.

This book is a combination of history and a memoir. There are footnotes and a bibliography. However, if a reader is looking for an objective, historical view of this topic, it is not found here. The author recounts his personal experiences during WWII. It is remarkable how he and other Jews survived.

The author does point out that after WWII, some people who were in a Nazi concentration camps found themselves in Soviet concentration camps.