Ratzen Yudel (Judel) Aronovich (7 April 1921, Saratov) — shoe upper cutter.
Yudel Ratzen completed six classes of primary school in the town of Anykščiai. From 1936 to 1941 he worked as a shoe upper cutter in private workshops. In 1941 he was evacuated to Saratov.
In 1942 Ratzen was conscripted into the ranks of the Soviet Army. Holding the rank of sergeant, he served in the 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division. He was wounded in the battles near Oryol and, following the amputation of his foot, was demobilised and granted third-degree disability status.
From 1943 to 1945 he worked as a watchman at the “Ganino” collective farm in Lindovsky District, Gorky Region. In 1945 he moved to Riga. Until 1948 he was a watchman at the industrial combine of the Riga Military Trade organisation.
From 1948 to 1978 he worked as a shoe upper cutter at the “Pionier” factory; in the “Uzvara” and “Stalin’s Five-Year Plan” artels; at Riga Household Services Combine No. 2; at the “Rīgas Apavi” production association; and at the household services combine in Jurmala.
Yudel Ratzen was awarded the medals: “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–45”, “Twenty Years of Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–45”, “Fifty Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR”, “For Valiant Labour in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of V. I. Lenin”, “Twenty-Five Years of Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–45”, “Thirty Years of Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–45”, “For Combat Merit”, “Veteran of Labour”, and “Sixty Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR”.
He was married to Anna Ferdina Ratzen (1922, Daugavpils — 1965). Their daughters were Frida Shetsen (née Ratzen) (1947, Riga), Meri Dashevskaya (née Ratzen) (1950, Riga), and Asya Bogorad (née Ratzen) (1956, Riga).
During the Holocaust his parents perished: Aron Ratzen (1894, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941) and Frida Ratzen (née Veksler) (1902, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941), as well as his siblings: Riva Ratzen (1927, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941), Ruven Ratzen (1929, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941), Hana Ratzen (1934, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941), and Osher Ratzen (1941, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941).
His brother Genech Ratzen (1923, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1943) was killed in action on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War.
In 1980 Yudel Ratzen received permission to emigrate to Israel at the invitation of his daughters Frida and Asya, who had emigrated in the 1970s.
Family:
Anna Ferdina Ratzen (1922, Daugavpils — 1965) — wife
Frida Shetsen (née Ratzen) (1947, Riga) — daughter
Meri Dashevskaya (née Ratzen) (1950, Riga) — daughter
Asya Bogorad (née Ratzen) (1956, Riga) — daughter
Aron Ratzen (1894, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941) — father
Frida Ratzen (née Veksler) (1902, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941) — mother
Genech Ratzen (1923, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1943) — brother
Riva Ratzen (1927, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941) — sister
Ruven Ratzen (1929, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941) — brother
Hana Ratzen (1934, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941) — sister
Osher Ratzen (1941, Anykščiai, Lithuania — 1941) — brother