Transport from Koeln, Köln (Köln), Rhine Province, Germany to Riga, Ghetto, Latvia on 07/12/1941

After the first two transports set out from Köln to the Łódź ghetto, approximately 5,000 Jews remained in the city. On November 13, 1941, the Köln Jewish community received notice of an upcoming transport to Minsk on December 8. Available sources do not explain why the destination had been changed. This transport was the first comprised of German Jews that went directly to the Riga ghetto following the murder of the Latvian Jews who had been interned there. Shortly before the transport to Riga departed, the authorities ordered all Jews in Köln to move to “Jew houses” and to the Müngersdorf collection camp. Almost all members of the Gestapo staff in Köln, as well as personnel from the Schupo (Schutzpolizei, Security Police) and Kripo (Kriminalpolizei, Criminal Police), and representatives of the ministries of Finance and Labour, took part in the deportation process....