If you are interested in the ethnographic history of Latvia and Riga, it is worth visiting one rather remarkable place. In the center of the capital, on Skolas Street, there is the Museum of the Jews in Latvia – an interesting collection with a large number of exhibits.
The Jewish community in Latvia now numbers about seven thousand people, that is, if we go by dry figures, over the past 50 years the number of Jews has rarely exceeded 1 percent of the country's total population. Despite this, in 1989 it was decided to create the museum center "Jews in Latvia." The initiative came from former concentration camp prisoners led by Margers Vestermanis.
The museum building, constructed between 1913 and 1925, has its own historical significance; previously there was a Jewish club and theater here. Now this place is occupied by the Riga Jewish Community and the museum, which occupies three halls.
Its collection consists of various archival documents and photographs telling the story of Jews who lived in the territory of Latvia at different times, beginning with the 16th century and ending with World War II. Here you can also see many exhibits connected with the history of the Holocaust – for example, items that once belonged to prisoners of ghettos and Nazi camps. In addition, the museum houses very rare bibliographic editions, as well as examples of the work of Jewish craftsmen.
