Autonomous Non-Profit Organization For Academic Research and Humanitarian Purposes Center «Sefer»

Field SCHOOL on Jewish Epigraphy and Ethnography in Ludza (Latvia), 4-12 August 2014

School on Jewish Epigraphy and Ethnography in Ludza (Latvia) took a place on 4^th – 12^th of August. The town of Ludza is one of the oldest in towns Latvia, where in the end of the 19^th century most of the population was Jewish and the city was called “Latvian Jerusalem”. Now there is a big Jewish cemetery dated to 1765/1768 year.

The work on the School included 2 groups. Ethnographic group worked in Ludza and towns around interviewing old habitants about the following topics: oral history, life of the Jewish community before and after the war, Holocaust, ethno-cultural stereotypes.

Epigraphic worked on the Jewish cemetery.

Also program of the Schools included lectures on the history and culture of Latvian Jewry, walking tours and evening seminars.

30 students and researchers from Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, USA and Ukraine took part in the school.

During the school the Jewish cemetery (more than 1200 matzevot) was completely worked up, 45 interviews with total time around 70 hours were taken.

The program of the school (in Russian) is available here.

Photo Album is here.

The School in Ludza was organized by Sefer Center and museum “Jews in Latvia” with the support of Genesis Philanthropy Group, UJA Federation of NY, Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund and State Culture Capital Foundation (SCCF).