Barkan Natan (1923–2003) – rabbi, public figure.

Natan Barkan received a traditional Jewish education, studying at the Riga Yeshiva and the yeshiva of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Gostini (now part of Plavinas).

During World War II, he emigrated eastward in the USSR with his father. In 1949, he returned to Latvia.

For several years, Natan Barkan held administrative and managerial positions in Jaunjelgava and, from 1954, in Riga. He was actively involved in the underground distribution of Jewish religious teachings.

Life in Israel and Religious Activities

In 1969, Natan Barkan moved to Israel, where he worked in government institutions. He founded a religious school for boys in Lod.

In 1973, Natan Barkan volunteered in the Yom Kippur War.

He was one of the founders of the “Shamir” Foundation, which established religious schools and branches in Moscow, Leningrad, and northern Russia.

In 1989, Natan Barkan was appointed Chief Rabbi of Riga and Latvia by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He played a crucial role in the revival of Jewish religious and secular life in post-war Latvia.

Natan Barkan was awarded the Order of the Three Stars.

Books and Legacy

  • Memoirs (Riga, 1998)

  • Paths of Fate. Look and Remember. Self-Restriction (Riga, 2003)

  • Latvia. Synagogues and Rabbis. 1918–1940 (published posthumously in 2004), documenting Jewish religious buildings in Latvia, based on his extensive collection of materials and photographs.

From 1995 to 2003, Natan Barkan was the founder and honorary chairman of one of the international conferences “Jews in a Changing World.”

Natan Barkan was buried in Jerusalem.