Council of the Jewish Communities of Latvia

The Latvian Council of Jewish Communities was founded in 2003 and unifies 13 communities from 9 Latvian cities:

  • Riga Jewish Community
  • Riga Jewish Religious Community
  • Daugavpils Jewish Community
  • Daugavpils Jewish Religious Community
  • Liepaja Jewish Religious Community
  • Ventspils Jewish Community
  • Ventspils Jewish Community "Hevre Hahomim"
  • Jurmala Jewish Community
  • Jekabpils Jewish Community
  • Jelgava Jewish Community
  • Rezekne Jewish Community
  • Ludza Jewish Community
  • Religious Community “Chabad-Lubavich”

The chairman of the Latvian Council of Jewish Communities – Arkady Suharenko.

The aims of the council - the development of all forms of jewish religious, social and community life, charity and participating in integration processes.

Retention of Holocaust victims’ memory is one of the main goals of the Latvian Council of Jewish Communities. About 40 memorials were set over recent years.
The Jewish Rescuer Rememberance Fund, which was founded with the support of the Latvian Council of Jewish Communities, has set the monument to Janis Lipke and all the Latvian Rescuers of Jews on Gogola street 25. The Latvian Council of Jewish Communities is still working on setting new memorials.
The Board of Trustees of the Latvian Council of Jewish Communities supports various culture and educational programmes, the activities of jewish organizations, synagogue, schools, Jewish cemetery in Shmerli. Special attention is paid to needy elderly people and children. The Latvian Government has accredited the Latvian Council of Jewish Communities as a charity organization.

The chairman of the Board of Trustees – Vitaly Gotlib

The Latvian Council of Jewish Communities participates in integration processes of Latvian society, accomplishing projects, which introduce the history and culture of Latvian Jewry, publishing books and organizing exhibitions, teaching Holocaust history to Latvian pupils, carrying out Jewish culture days and others.
Recently, the Latvian Council of Jewish Communities has fulfilled a project on Riga synagogues renovation.
Currently, the council is working on a project on restoration of the house of the Riga Jewish Community on Skolas street 6 and is planning to create a new museum “Jews in Latvia” on Alksnaja street.