1 Killing site(s)
Leontīne R., born in 1931: "Before the war, Gaigalava was almost entirely inhabited by Latvians, with the exception of a Russian forest ranger and a Jewish shopkeeper. During the German occupation, the Jewish store ceased operating, and other people moved into the house where the Jewish family had lived. The family never returned to the village. After the war, I learned that the Jews had been killed at the Chkapiterne sand quarry. Later, people came to inquire about this site. At that time, a commemorative plaque was attached to a tree there, but it has since disappeared." (Testimony N°YIU149LV, interviewed in Gaigalava, on August 24, 2022)
Gaigalava is situated approximately 30 km (18.6 mi) northeast of Rēzekne. The settlement’s name has changed over time. Today it is known as Gaigalava, but in 1935 it was called Bykovo (Bikava), a name that still appears on some modern maps. According to the 1935 census, Bykovo itself had 2 Jewish residents, while the wider Gaigalava parish had a total of 20. According to local witness Leontīne R., born in 1931 and interviewed by Yahad, Gaigalava was inhabited almost entirely by Latvians before the German invasion, except for a Russian forest ranger and the family of a Jewish merchant who owned a store in the village.
Gaigalava was occupied by German troops in early July 1941. A new administration was established in the village, including the formation of a local police force made up of volunteers.
According to available sources, in mid- to late July 1941, about nine Jews from Gaigalava parish were shot in the forest along the Lubana road, most likely by members of the Vecstružānu self-defense group. According to local resident Leontīne R., born in 1931 and interviewed by Yahad, the victims were killed and buried in the Chkapiterne sand quarry, now located within the forest.
After the war, local inhabitants reburied the victims’ remains in the Bikava Cemetery, where a monument was erected, although its precise connection to the murdered Jews remains uncertain. A symbolic marker bearing the Star of David has also been placed at the original killing site in the forest.
NB: When examining the destruction of the Jewish community in Gaigalava parish, it is important to note that during the 1960s and 1970s the German prosecutor conducted an investigation against G. Tabbert, Bernats, and other members of the KdS Latvia. The case concerned the deaths of 50 Jews and 53 political opponents who were murdered near Gaigalava and Barssuki during the German occupation (B162/9561 and B162/9562). According to witness testimonies, approximately two months after the arrival of German forces, the Jewish population was detained in the Gaigalava police prison and subsequently killed in the nearby forest, around September 1941. As the perpetrators could not be found, the investigation was eventually closed.
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