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Obj. ID: 40706
Modern Jewish Art
  Memorial to the Lipke Family, Righteous Among the Nations, in the Šmerli New Jewish Cemetery in Riga, Latvia, 1990

© Vladimir Levin, Photographer: Levin, Vladimir, 2011

Memorial Name

No official name

Who is Commemorated?

Jānis (Žanis) and Johanna Lipke, Righteous Among the Nations.

Description:

The monument is a large stone. Two metal plaques and a Star of David are affixed to it. The upper plaque has a citation from Mishna Sanhedrin (chapter 4, mishna 5) in Hebrew and a Yiddish dedication. The lower plaque has the citation and dedication in Latvian.

Inscription:

Hebrew

כל המקיים נפש אחת
כאילו קיים עולם מלא

TranslationWhoever saves one life, it is considered if he saved the whole world (Sanhedrin chapter 4, mishna 5).

Yiddish

אייביק וועלן לויכטן די נעמען פון
יאניס /זשאניס/ און יאהאנא
ליפקע,
וואס האבן אין די יארן 1941 – 1944
געראטעוועט 55 יידן

Translation: The names of Jānis (Žanis) and Johanna Lipke, who in 1941–1944 saved 55 Jews, will radiate light forever.

Latvian

Kas izglābis vienu dzīvību, tik
tiesam ir izglābis visu pasauli

Mužos gaismu izstaros
Jaņa / Žaņa / Lipkes un
Jahannas Lipkes vāros
1941.–1944. gadam sie varonīgie
cilvēki izglāba 55 Ebreju

Translation: Who saved one life, saved the whole world (Sanhedrin chapter 4, mishna 5).

Will radiate light forever, Jānis (Žanis) Lipke and Johanna Lipke; in 1941–1944, these heroic people saved 55 Jews.

 

Yiddish

[Illegible]

Commissioned by

The Riga Jewish Community (?)

Summary and Remarks
Remarks

1 image(s)

sub-set tree:

Name/Title
Memorial to the Lipke Family, Righteous Among the Nations, in the Šmerli New Jewish Cemetery in Riga | Unknown
Object Detail
Monument Setting
Date
1990
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
Unknown |
Congregation
Unknown
Location
Latvia | Vidzeme | Riga (Rīga)
| Lizuma iela 4, Šmerli
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Unknown|
Period
Period Detail
Collection
Unknown |
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Iconographical Subject
Material / Technique
Stone, metal
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
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Condition
Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
0
Ornamentation
Custom
Contents
Codicology
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Number of Lines
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Pricking
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Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
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Denomination
Signature
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Watermark
Hallmark
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program
Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance

Jānis (Žanis) Lipke and his wife Johanna helped 55 Jews to escape from the Riga ghetto and helped them to hid. 44 Jews, helped by Lipke, survived.

On June 28, 1966, Yad Vashem recognized Žanis and Johanna Lipke as Righteous Among the Nations.

Main Surveys & Excavations
Sources

Meler, Meyer, Jewish Latvia: Sites to Remember (Tel-Aviv: Association of Latvian and Estonian Jews in Israel, 2013), pp. 333-334.

Meler, Meyer, Mesta nashei pamiati: Evreiskie obshchiny Latvii, unichtozhennye v Kholokoste (Riga: by the author, 2010), p. 358.
Type
Documenter
|
Author of description
Vladimir Levin | 2023
Architectural Drawings
|
Computer Reconstruction
|
Section Head
|
Language Editor
|
Donor
|
Negative/Photo. No.
The following information on this monument will be completed: