Auce / Alt-Autz
Born on 16 Menachem Av 5631 (3 August 1871) in Daugalishki, district of Vilna.
He studied in Sventsyan and in Lida under Rabbi Nachman Eidel Margolies, rabbi of Jakobstadt, and was ordained by him. He was also ordained by R. Shlomo HaKohen of Vilna, the rabbinical court of Lida, and R. Yitzchak Yaakov Reines, rabbi of Lida.
He served as rabbi here from Rosh Chodesh Adar I 5657 until the expulsion of the Jews of Courland on the first day of the festival of Shavuot 5675 (February 1897 – May 1915).
From the year 5679 (1919) rabbi of Jelgava (Mitau).
He perished in the Holocaust.
Author of the books Nachalat Avot (Vilna 5654), Toldot Yeshivat HaYehudim BeCourland (Piotrków 5668. Second edition, Vilna 5672), Hadarat Tzvi and Divrei Levi (Piotrków 5674), Di Geshikhte fun di Yidn in Letland (Riga 1928).1)
Approbations from him: Haggadah shel Pesach with commentary Nachalat Shimon (Riga 5690), Berakha LeYisrael (Riga 5692), Derashot LeAmenu VeLeDatenu (Riga 5694).
Torah novellae from him were published in the collection Sha'arei Tzion.
In his books on Latvian Jewry he left a name and a lasting record for the history of Latvian Jewry, and in particular for the history of its rabbis.
His biography – at the end of his books Toldot Yeshivat HaYehudim BeCourland and Di Geshikhte fun di Yidn in Letland.
Ohalei Shem, p. 331. Yahadut Latviya, pp. 368–9. Latvia: Batei Knesset VeRabbanim, p. 236.
Latvia and Rabbis