The repairs and landscape improvement finished at the Memorial for the Jews of Liepāja, Victims of the Holocaust, in Šķēde

In the summer of 2024, important repair works were completed at the Memorial for the Jews of Liepāja, Victims of the Holocaust, in Šķēde. As the Memorial is about to turn 20 years old, it has been repaired, restored and maintained, and the Alley for the Righteous Among the Nations has been landscaped. The improvements were supported by the Uniting Foundation, the Latvian Jewish Community Restitution Fund, and the Liepāja Jewish Heritage Foundation.

Ilana Ivanova, director of the Liepāja Jewish Heritage social foundation, says: ‘Over the 20 years since its creation, the Memorial for the Jews of Liepāja, Victims of the Holocaust, which is located on the coast of the sea, has suffered heavily from wind and sand from the sea, resulting in a risk to the long-term survival of its structure. An independent certified civil engineer was asked to establish the extent of damages, the Monument was inspected, and we received an official technical report. The inspection concluded that several stones are detached from the Menorah wall and, due to wind erosion and rainwater damage, the wall joints are nearly collapsing. After these discoveries, we had to make a swift decision to repair and restore the entire structure.’

The repairs included: clearing the territory, eliminating cracks, dismantling and rebuilding the layers of the wall, cleaning and protective treatment of the stones, and restoring the joints damaged by the elements. It was also concluded that an additional green area must be created along the Memorial in order to protect it from sand drifts. The territory improvement included extending the green area, planting pine and cedar bushes, restoring inscriptions, cleaning the edge stones, and improving the parking lot. The Uniting Foundation will support future regular maintenance of the territory – washing the granite monuments, mowing grass, clearing garbage, and other routine tasks.

The restoration was respectful of the original design by sculptor Raimonds Gabaliņš, the author of the Monument concept, and all works were done under the supervision of a certified civil engineer using high quality materials to extend the durability of the memorial. The improvements were started on May 7 this year, and the first public event at the Memorial took place on June 26, during the 12^th Annual World Reunion of Liepāja Jewry.

Over the recent years, the Šķēde Memorial has experienced strong sand drifts, which means that the preservation of the Memorial site also depends on the coastline enforcement activities organized by the Liepāja City Council, aimed at suspending coastal erosion.

‘Without support from the Uniting Foundation, we would not have been able to do much – the Foundation provides immeasurable support for this project and many others. The ancestors of the Foundation’s founders come from Liepāja, so we are united both in our love for this city and our understanding of the need to preserve Jewish heritage in Liepāja. We are truly grateful to have the Uniting Foundation by our side – knowing that we have a reliable partner in our projects of historical heritage is crucial for the entire community,’ Ilana Ivanova adds.

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During World War II, many Liepāja Jews were killed in Šķēde. Right here, in the dunes of Šķēde, on the coast of the Baltic Sea, the centuries-old Liepāja Jewish Community ceased to exist. We currently know that only 25 of the nearly 5500 Jews of Liepāja survived the mass killings of the Holocaust.

Over 20 years ago, the open social foundation Liepāja Jewish Heritage initiated a tender for a Memorial in the Šķēde dunes – participants were asked to create a environmental structure that incorporates visual art and architecture and also observes the canons of Jewish ceremonial art. Artist and sculptor from Liepāja Raimonds Gabaliņš presented the best concept, project Kaddish. The memorial consists of a horizontal Menorah, a key symbol in Judaism, formed from split Kurzeme boulders. The lights of the Menorah are represented by large granite pillars with inscriptions in Hebrew. The creation of the Šķēde Memorial was a joint effort by historians, surveyors, builders, environment experts, and representatives of archives and museums. The Memorial was opened on June 4, 2005.