Latvia Jewish & Kosher Guide 2025: Kosher Info in Latvia, Europe

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Popular Places In Latvia

Daugavpils

Jurmala

Riga

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About Latvia

Latvia is a country on the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Estonia. Its landscape is marked by wide beaches as well as dense, sprawling forests. Latvia’s capital is Riga, home to notable wooden and art nouveau architecture, a vast Central Market and a medieval Old Town with St. Peter's Church. Riga's museums include the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, showcasing local crafts, food and music. Around 3000 BC, the proto-Baltic ancestors of the Latvian people settled on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. More than 200,000 Latvian citizens died during World War II, including approximately 75,000 Latvian Jews murdered during the Nazi occupation. In the post-war period, Latvia was made to adopt Soviet farming methods. In 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a resolution on the Occupation of the Baltic States, in which it declared the occupation "not in accordance with law", and not the "will of the Soviet people". Pro-independence Popular Front of Latvia candidates gained a two-thirds majority in the Supreme Council in the March 1990 democratic elections. The Republic of Latvia declared the end of the transitional period and restored full independence on 21 August 1991, in the aftermath of a failed Soviet coup attempt. Latvia has four pronounced seasons of near-equal length. Most of the country is composed of fertile lowland plains and moderate hills. In a typical Latvian landscape, a mosaic of vast forests alternates with fields, farmsteads, and pastures. The most famous travel spot is the capital Riga, a World Heritage Site. There are also many other great places to see, both urban and rural, such as Liepaja with its unique former secret military town of Karosta and a magnificent beach. Kuldiga with Europe`s widest waterfall and Cesis with its medieval castle ruins are also interesting. Tourists can also enjoy the wild beauty of Latvia's unspoilt sea coast, which is 500 km long and consists mainly of white, soft sandy beaches. Forests, which cover approximately a half of Latvia's territory, offer many nature trails and nature parks.

The Best Of Latvia

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Jewish History, POI & Kosher Establishments in Latvia

The Jewish presence in current-day Latvia dates back many centuries to the Jewish communities in the principalities of Courland and Livonia. That presence is confirmed by Jewish tombstones dating back to the 14th century. These territories changed hands many times over the course of history, and the situation of the Jews there was always dependent upon the ruler in power. Latvia's geography also meant that its Jews were exposed to German, Russian and Eastern European influences while developing their own distinct characteristics. Courland was beyond the so-called pale of Jewish settlement; consequently, only Jews who could prove that they had lived there before the advent of Russian rule were allowed to remain. Over time, however, other Jews who were considered useful were granted the privilege of settling there. On the eve of the Shoah, there were some 85,000 Jews in the country—40,000 in Riga, 10,000 in Liepaja (Libau), and the rest scatted in other communities, most notably Daugavpils (Dvinsk). The Jews in Latvia Museum was established in 1989 to research and commemorate the history of Latvia's Jewish community. The museum's exhibition is housed in three halls in the historical building of the former Jewish theatre that was restituted to the community. In the Rumbula forest outside Riga, a monument has been erected on the killing grounds of some 25,000 inhabitants of the Riga ghetto who were gunned down in 1941. The marker was designed by architect Sergey Ryzh. Over the mass graves there is a large menorah and rocks engraved with the names of the Jews executed there. The paving stones forming the Star of David bear the names of the streets of the Riga ghetto. There are synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in a number of cities and towns, some of which have been preserved. In Daugavpils, in addition to other sites, there are monuments to the famous Yiddish actor Solomon Mikholes who was murdered at Stalin's behest and the American Jewish painter Mark Rothko, both of whom were born in the city. Riga has 3 kosher restaurants.


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What Is *JOFY?

JOFY, or "Jewish Observant Friendly" Establishments are lodging establishments offering special services for Jewish Observant guests such as Shabbat meals, accommodation on lower floors and regular keys for the rooms. It can also be a NON KOSHER establishment located in walking distance from the local Shul, community or kosher restaurants area.

Please note - *JOFY does NOT mean that KOSHER food is served on the premises!

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