us-005578-irn50916-irn500326
type: RecordSet
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: eng
has or had some members with language: yid
has or had subject: 857
has or had subject: 686
has record set type: Item
history: Isaak Racs was born on December 26, 1927, in Riga, Latvia, to Moses and Tema Schusterman Racs. He had four brothers: Mendel, born on December 26, 1923, Rafael Eliezer, born on February 28, 1928, Chona Reuven, born on August 13, 1931, and Aron David, born in 1940. His mother Tema was born in 1900 in Riga to Aron David and Chana Riva Schusterman. She had one brother, three half-brothers, and two half-sisters. Isaak’s father Moses was born on May 8, 1900. He had four brothers and three sisters. Moses was a tailor and had a shop in their apartment. Isaak attended a Jewish school, where he learned Hebrew. He spoke Yiddish at home with his family and learned Latvian and Russian. He was unable to afford to attend high school and worked in a shipping company office. On June 17, 1940, the Soviet Union annexed Latvia and ran protesters over with tanks. Under Soviet rule, Isaak was allowed to go to school at night and work in the day. The Soviets began deporting the wealthy, Jews and non-Jews, to Siberia and Isaak’s boss and his wife were taken overnight. Isaak secretly celebrated his bar mitzvah by going to shul and having a small party with his family. Isaak’s older brother Mendel, age 17, was conscripted into the Soviet army. On July 1, 1941, Germany invaded Latvia. On July 4, the Germans grabbed Jewish men off the street and forced them to light the synagogues on fire with people inside. Mendel did not come home. Isaak searched for him for several days, in town and in the German prison camp for Soviet soldiers, but never found him. On August 1, the Jews were required to wear Star of David badges. In late summer, Isaak and his family moved into the newly established ghetto, which was sealed on October 25. Isaak was permitted to leave the ghetto for his job in the lumberyard. He later worked with his father Moses, who was a tailor for the police department. On November 28, the Germans ordered that all able bodied men older than 16 report to the assembly area. Although Isaak …
history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
identifier: irn500326
is or was included in: us-005578-irn50916
record resource extent: folder 1
record resource structure: The collection is arranged thematically.
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Contains typescript extracts of a memoir entitled"The Silent Witness and His Partner" which relates to the donor's experiences in Riva, Latvia during the Holocaust. Also includes three poems in Yiddish:"Yarmulke""Stuthoff KZ" and"Living through Hell"
title: Jack Ratz papers