Jews in the country at that time have three of the most revered rabbis of the 19th and 20th centuries to consult (photo: Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook). They have synagogues within blocks and perhaps a business of their own. Community members include the Rothkowitz family of Dvinsk and their young boy Markus, an artist who shortened his name to Mark Rothko. Life flourishes with Latvia's independence in 1918, and in the 1930s the country of just under two million is about five percent Jewish. Children attend one of 73 Jewish schools and there are great Jewish authors, doctors, and charitable organizations.
In June 1940, the mood darkens as the Soviets occupy the country, Latvia. One year later in June 1941, about 2,000 Jews are among those deported to the Soviet Gulag. Then, days later, a lethal plague descends on Latvia's Jews when the Nazis drive out the Soviets.
