Latvijas Vēsturnieku komisijas raksti - 23.sējums

Josifs Ročko. Tas notika Preiļos
In this work, the memoirs of more than 15 old residents have been viewed. These
are mainly Russian Old Believers who used to be the neighbours of Jews before the war
and turned to be the witnesses of pursuits against Jews during the war. The respondents
were 16–20-years-old at the beginning of the war. On the one hand, their memoirs have
involved the life experience, and on the other hand, it is their particular reaction or even a
protest against their current position in society.
Second, the memories of some Jews made it possible to analyze the destiny of the
diary that had been kept by Sheyna Gram, to better understand the life of that girl.
Third, some old residents, mainly Latvians, refused to share their memoirs because
they are afraid to insult the relatives, the former supporters of German occupants. The
relatives are not guilty. Besides, the conviction has retained that any uttered word is being
controlled by “competent organs”.
Fourth, the archive materials, as well as those of court trials on German occupants
accomplices, have been made use of for this work.
Fifth, the story of M. Khagy really shows the heroism of the saver and the struggle for
life of those persecuted.
According to the 1935 year census, 847 Jews lived in the city, or 51% of the city
inhabitants. The respondents remember Jewish residents as the owners of shops and
stores, craftsmen, peddlers. The Jewish population of the town reduced by more than
100 persons at the beginning of the war. These were the Jews who moved to Riga and
Daugavpils as well as those who managed to escape to Russia during the first days of
the war. On the other hand, there were refugees in the town from other towns of Latgale
as well as the Lithuanian Jews.
On 28 June 1941, the German troops occupied Preiļi. Right away the local administration
was set up as well the detachment of self guards which was joined on a voluntary
basis. Jews were made to put on yellow stars at the end of July, they were sent to different
jobs including peat-cutting but there were no mass executions.
A truck with Germans from Daugavpils and Rēzekne appeared in the town on the eve
of executions. The fate of Jews was determined in the office of the local police chief. The
chief invited volunteers willing to participate in the executions. On 27 July 1941, a group
of Jews was driven to the synagogue, it was declared that they would be sent to work. On
28 July the doomed ones were executed.
On 9 August 1941, a punitive expedition led by K. Bleudance came to Preiļi from Līvāni.
On the next day, the previous mass execution procedure was repeated. Executions took
place simultaneously at several pits that were dug beforehand in the meadow near the
Jewish cemetery. Jews were made to take off their clothes up to their underwear and lead
up in small groups to the pits.
The punitive expedition members dressed in guards uniform replaced one another
probably in order to re-charge their weapons.
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