Riga Jewish Aid Society “Ezro” (Rīgas ebreju palīdzības biedrība “Ezro”).

The society was registered on 25 February 1925 (Valdības Vēstnesis, 22 April 1925).

The main aim of the society was to establish and maintain educational institutions for Jewish children.

By 1938, the society maintained in Riga:

a Jewish secondary school (248 pupils), a Jewish elementary school, a Jewish kindergarten (18 children), all located at Blaumaņa Street 26. Upon the liquidation of the society, these institutions were transferred to the administration of the Riga municipal authorities. When the organization was dissolved on 5 November 1940, all remaining funds (4,000 lats) were transferred to the Riga City Secondary School No. 2 (the former “Ezra” school).

In different years, members of the board and active participants included:

Prof. Paul Mintz (chairman), Prof. Magnus Feitelberg, Mikhail Silitsky, A. Gutman, A. Levenstam, E. Schneider, L. Tal, Maria Gurevich, Adolf Jacobson (d. 1939), Dr. Agnesa Nisse, Dr. B. Meer, Prof. M. Tsentnershver, Mieczysław Shlosberg, Haim Himmelhokh, Harietta Mintz, Maria Gurevich, Elbet Meer, Dr. Leopold Schönfeld, Dr. M. Lipshutz, L. Levenson, Emanuel Gottlieb, Arthur Kelman, Helena Frid, Lea Michelson, Helena Rapoport, Zlata Shetsen, Rachel Rabinovich, Moses Prager, Leizer Tal, Sergei Jacobson, Johanna Gots, Sterna Blumberg.

Archival sources:

Latvian State Historical Archives (LGIA):

Fond 1536, inventory 11, file 235, p. 1937;

Fond 3724, inventory 1, file 4157.