Taits (Taitz) Khatskel (Chaskel) Berovich (22 April 1913, Riga — 1978, Riga) — bookbinder.
Khaskel Taits was the son of Ber Taits (1878, Lithuania – 1918, Riga) and Fayge Taits (1872, Lithuania – 1954, Riga). From 1928 to 1935, he worked as a salesman in the shop “Press” in Riga. From 1935 to 1941, he worked as a salesman in the shop “Osh Lanker” in Riga.
In 1941, he was evacuated to the Gorky region and until 1942 worked at a sawmill in the town of Sharya. In 1942, he was mobilized into the Soviet Army and took part in combat operations. After demobilization in 1946, he returned to Riga.
Until 1953, he was head of the motor pool at the “Laima” factory. From 1954 to 1961, he worked as a bookbinder in the artels “Sarkanais Karogs” and “Bytovik,” and at the combines “Trud” and “Rīgas Ekspresis.”
In 1961, he was convicted under Articles 162 and 164.2 of the Criminal Code of the Latvian SSR and sentenced by the People’s Court of the Moscow district of Riga to one year of imprisonment. He was released in 1962.
From 1962, he worked as a bookbinder at various enterprises: ATK-18 in Riga, the Riga motor transport enterprise No. 26, the “Stroymontazh” administration, the design institute of the Baltic Railway, the Bolderāja timber processing and supply combine, and the “Speystroygaz” administration.
Khaskel Taits was a member of the CPSU from 1948 to 1962. He was awarded the medals “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945,” “For Combat Merit,” “30 Years of Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945,” and a commemorative badge “For Participation in Combat Operations on the Northwestern Front.”
In his marriage to Khana (Kreine) Taits (née Elkan) (1916, Riga), a son, Yazep Taits (1946, Riga), was born.
During the Holocaust, his sister Malka Taits (1907, Riga – 1941, Riga) and his brother Ruben Taits (1904, Riga – 1941, Riga) were killed.
His brother Meilakh Taits (1898, Riga) left Latvia in 1922 and in the 1960s lived in Los Angeles. His sister Nadi Khartsenberg (née Taits) (1900, Riga – 1968, Chicago) emigrated to the United States before the Second World War. His brother Samson Taits (1902, Riga) emigrated to Palestine in the 1920s. His sister Elka Flor (née Taits, later Yurovitskaya) (1909, Riga) emigrated to Palestine in the 1930s. His brother Meisha Taits (1911, Riga – 1930, Riga) died in Latvia. His sister Yekheved Shetsen (née Taits) (1916, Riga) received permission to emigrate to Israel in 1974.
Family:
Khana (Kreine) Taits (née Elkan) (1916, Riga) — wife
Yazep Taits (1946, Riga) — son
Ber Taits (1878, Lithuania – 1918, Riga) — father
Fayge Taits (1872, Lithuania – 1954, Riga) — mother
Meilakh Taits (1898, Riga) — brother
Nadi Khartsenberg (née Taits) (1900, Riga – 1968, Chicago) — sister
Samson Taits (1902, Riga) — brother
Elka Flor (née Taits, later Yurovitskaya) (1909, Riga) — sister
Malka Taits (1907, Riga – 1941, Riga) — sister
Ruben Taits (1904, Riga – 1941, Riga) — brother
Meisha Taits (1911, Riga – 1930, Riga) — brother
Yekheved Shetsen (née Taits) (1916, Riga) — sister