Levitanus Ilya Aronovich (1908)

Levitanus (Lewitanus) Ilya (Ilja) Aronovich (born 4 March 1908, Dagda) — trade worker.

Ilya Levitanus was born to Aron Levitanus (1870, Vitebsk-Dvinsk, Belarus — 1940, Dagda), a labourer, and Feiga Levitanus (née Aron) (1875, Dagda — 1939, Dagda), a seamstress. He completed the elementary Jewish school in 1921. From 1921 to 1929 he worked as a shop assistant in a private store in Dagda. In 1929–30 he served in the Latvian Army as a private. Between 1930 and 1940 he worked as a senior salesman in Starobin’s wholesale store in Riga on Gogol Street. In 1940–41 he worked as an inventory clerk for the “Turiba” joint-stock company in Karsava.

In 1941 he was evacuated to Vyazniki, Ivanovo region, where he worked as a metal caster at an iron foundry. He was drafted into the Red Army and served until 1945 in the 102nd Rifle Regiment as a private and mortar operator. He was severely wounded in 1942 and concussed in 1943 (later recognised as a WWII invalid of group II). In 1945 he returned to Latvia and until 1947 worked as a senior salesman at the Ludza District Consumer Union. From 1947 to 1975 he worked in Karsava as a tinsmith, kiosk manager, and head of the dining hall of the Karsava Consumer Cooperative. Since 1975 he lived on disability pension.

Awards:

Medals “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–45”, “25 Years of Victory over Germany”, “30 Years of Victory over Germany”, “50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR”, “60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR”, “For Distinguished Labour in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of V. I. Lenin’s Birth”.

Ilya Levitanus and his wife Khaya Levitanus (née Pasvolskaya) (born 1911, Karsava) had two children: Aron Levitanus (born 1948, Rezekne) and Lyubov Feldman (née Levitanus) (born 1950, Karsava).

His brother Hirsh Levitanus (1906, Dagda — 1978, Riga) is buried in Riga. His sister Khaya Chernia (née Levitanus) (1905, Vitebsk-Dvinsk, Belarus — 1941, Daugavpils) was killed during the German occupation of Daugavpils.

In 1979 Ilya Levitanus and his wife received permission to emigrate to Israel, invited by Mikhail Shenker (born 1939, Zhitomir), brother of the wife of Ilya’s son; Shenker had emigrated to Israel in 1972 from Chernivtsi, Ukraine.

Family:

Khaya Levitanus (née Pasvolskaya) (born 1911, Karsava) — wife
Aron Levitanus (born 1948, Rezekne) — son
Lyubov Feldman (née Levitanus) (born 1950, Karsava) — daughter
Aron Levitanus (1870–1940) — father
Feiga Levitanus (née Aron) (1875–1939) — mother
Hirsh Levitanus (1906–1978) — brother
Khaya Chernia (née Levitanus) (1905–1941) — sister
Mikhail Shenker (born 1939, Zhitomir) — brother of daughter-in-law