Amitan Evna Leibovich (Born 25 July 1914, Riga)

Weaver

Education and Early Career

1928 – Graduated from Riga City Primary School.

Until 1930 – Worked as a labourer in Riga.

1930–1940 – Weaver at private textile enterprises.

1935–1937 – Served in the Latvian Army.

1940–1941 – Worked as a weaver at the “Sarkana Lenta” textile factory in Riga.

World War II and Imprisonment

1941 – Mobilised into the Soviet Army.

1943 – Injured and demobilised.

1943–1944 – Worked as an expeditor at the “Rosglavkhleb” office in Kuibyshev.

1944 – Convicted under the law of 7 August 1932 and sentenced to 8 years in prison.

1952 – Released and moved to Riga, later fully amnestied.

From 1953 – Worked as a weave-room second hand at the “Rīgas Adītājs” factory.

Family and Holocaust Tragedy

Evna's parents, wife, and son perished in the Holocaust in 1941:

Brocha Amitan (1878, Ludza – 1941) – mother
Leib Amitan (1874, Ludza – 1941) – father
Khana Amitan (1914, Smiltene – 1941) – first wife
Lazar Amitan (1938, Riga – 1941) – son

His daughter from his first marriage, Cila Spungina (née Amitan) (born 1941, Riga), was living and working in Riga in the 1960s.

In his second marriage to Hava Amitan (née Minkina) (born 1916, Vitebsk), they had two children:

Gita Amitan (born 1953, Riga)

Lev Amitan (born 1955, Riga)

Evna Amitan’s sisters, Neuma Goldblatt (née Amitan) (born 1909, Luga) and Basya Henrich (née Amitan) (born 1916, Riga), were living and working in Riga in the 1960s.

Emigration to Israel

In 1964 Evna Amitan applied for emigration to Israel, on invitation of his brother, Abram Amitan, who had emigrated to Palestine in the 1930s in search of work. In 1968 he was granted permission to emigrate with his family.

Family Members

Khava Amitan (née Minkina) (born 1916, Vitebsk) – second wife
Gita Amitan (born 1953, Riga) – daughter
Lev Amitan (born 1955, Riga) – son
Cila Spungina (née Amitan) (born 1941, Riga) – daughter from the first marriage
Neuma Goldblatt (née Amitan) (born 1909, Luga) – sister
Basya Henrich (née Amitan) (born 1916, Riga) – sister
Abram Amitan – brother who emigrated to Palestine in the 1930s