Žanis Lipke monument

From 1941 till 1945 the Nazis killed over seventy thousand Latvian Jews. Over 400 Jews were saved owing to the efforts of the people of various nationalities, social backgrounds, political views and religious beliefs.
The idea of setting up a monument to the rescuers of the Jews received much public acclaim. The monument was designed with the financial support of the Latvian government, the Council of Riga, the Council of Jewish Communities in Latvia, and persons. Under Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga’s supervision, The Jewish Rescuer Rememberance Fund was established. The Fund organized a competition to create the design of the monument and it was won by Elina Lagzdina, a student at the Academy of Fine Arts.
The monument consists of a falling wall, twelve metres in length and six metres in height, symbolizing the danger of annihilation threatening the Jews, with supporting columns carrying the names of the 270 rescuers. The central column has a portrait of Janis Lipke, who managed to save more than 50 people from imminent death.
The prophet Isaiah’s words are carved on the left side of the monument: “... I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off” (56:5).
On July 4, 2007, National Jewish Genocide Victims’ Remembrance Day, the monument was unveiled near the memorial at the square on the site of the Great Choral Synagogue, which was was burnt down on that day in 1941 together with the people inside.