Rosenthal Leon (1907-1998)

Rosenthal Leon (1907–1998)

Leon Rosenthal was born on 3 July 1907 in Odessa, into the family of a pharmacist who had come from Jaunjelgava. His father was Zalman Leib and his mother Betty. In 1916–1917 he studied at the 7th Gymnasium in Odessa.

In 1923 he arrived in Latvia with his family. In 1923–1930 he worked as a private tutor. From 1923 he studied at the J. Landau Secondary School in Riga, graduating in 1926. In 1926 he began studying law at the University of Latvia, graduating in 1931. During his studies he worked as a Latin teacher at the J. Landau Gymnasium; from 1927 he worked in the office of the sworn advocate M. Graevsky, and from 1930 in the office of the sworn advocate V. Simanovich. From 6 April 1932 he served as assistant to the sworn advocate V. Simanovich in Riga.

In 1932–1933 he completed compulsory military service in the Latvian Army, serving in the 6th Riga Infantry Regiment. He was a member of the society “Tel Hai Fund”. From 15 December 1939 he practised as a sworn advocate in Riga.

During the Soviet occupation he worked as legal counsel at state enterprises in Riga. In January 1941 he was not admitted to the Collegium of Advocates. He worked as legal adviser in the Main Administration for Trade in Non-Ferrous Metals. On 14 June 1941 he was arrested in Riga and sent to the Perm labour camp. On 8 April 1942 he was sentenced to five years of exile in Krasnoyarsk Territory for “activity in a counter-revolutionary Zionist organisation”.

From 1942 he lived in exile with his family in the village of Irbeysk. From September 1942 he worked as a planner and head of the canteen at the industrial combine in the Irbeysk district. In March 1943 he was appointed chief accountant of the combine. After the completion of his term of exile in 1946 he moved to Krasnoyarsk. From June 1946 he worked as chief accountant at the Krasnoyarsk Hydrolysis Plant; from June 1949 as legal adviser to the Kirov Market in Krasnoyarsk; from February 1951 as chief accountant of the market; and from October 1952 again as legal adviser.

In 1956 he was rehabilitated and in October 1956 returned with his family to Latvia. From January 1957 he worked as legal adviser at the Repair and Mechanical Plant of the enterprise “Latvenergo”. In May 1958 he was refused admission to the Collegium of Advocates. In September 1959 he was admitted to the Collegium of Advocates and worked as an advocate at the Jēkabpils Legal Consultation Office, and from November as an advocate at the Tukums Legal Consultation Office. In January 1963 he was appointed advocate of the Riga 4th Legal Consultation Office.

He was a member of the Civil Law Section of the Collegium of Advocates and chairman of the Methodological and Advisory Council of the legal consultation office. He compiled numerous methodological guides. He also served as deputy chairman of the comrades’ court of the housing administration.

From 1987 he lectured at the Institute for Advanced Training of Interdisciplinary Specialists of the National Economy. In March 1988 he retired.

He died on 23 March 1998 in Riga and was buried at the New Jewish Cemetery.

In 1934 he married Maria Liberman (16 March 1913 – 28 November 1997). Their sons were Rafael Rosenthal (born 27 September 1937, professor of medicine) and Boris Rosenthal (born 5 August 1946). The family lived in exile from 14 June 1941 until 1956.

He was a philister (alumnus member) of the Jewish student corporation “Hasmonea.”

Works:

Testamenta izpildītājs. (Исполнитель завещания.). – Rīga, 1939.