Rozentāls Friedrich & Rozentāle Wilhelmina (Putriņa); Son: Bruno ; Child: Edgars

Rozentāls, Friedrich Rozentāle, Vilhelmina Rozentāls, Bruno Rozentāls, Edgars Friedrich Rozentāls (b. 1900) owned an estate near the village of Miltini, Zemgale, approximately 70 km southwest of Rīga. In 1931 his wife died leaving him to raise two sons, Bruno (b. 1925) and Edgars (b. 1928). Shortly before Germany invaded Latvia, Friedrich married Vilhelmina Putriņa (b. 1900). At the beginning of 1943, Friedrich became acquainted, through his brother Jānis Rozentāls, with Žanis Lipke* from Rīga. The latter was looking for possible hiding places outside Rīga for the persecuted Jews and Friedrich’s estate, situated far from other village houses, seemed suitable. Friedrich gave Lipke his consent and shared his plan with his teenage sons, but not with his wife, not sure about her attitude towards such an endeavor. A few months passed and then in May 1943 Lipke brought the first Jews, Abram Libchen, Chaim Smolianski and Mr. Ulman. They were hidden in the barn under the straw, and Friedrich and his sons secretly brought them food there. On October 10, four more escapees from the Rīga ghetto reached the estate – Isaak and Zalman Drizin, Boris Brant and Simon Sheinigson. Seven hidden people needed more food and Bruno and Edgars started taking more from the kitchen. Their stepmother noticed and accused the boys of exchanging the products for vodka. The brothers denied the accusations and told her about the Jews in hiding. Vilhelmina was shocked but didn’t demand that the Jews leave: on the contrary, from then on she cooked and washed for them. It was Vilhelmina who suggested building a more concealed hideaway under the house floor. All the men, the Jews and the rescuers, engaged in digging and strengthening a new 4x 5 meter wide hole; bunk beds were built inside, electric light was installed and there was even a radio. Subsequently, additional Jews found temporary shelter with the Rozentāl family, among them Boris Cesvan, Ruvim Juter and his son Israel, BerlSchneider, Sofia Stern and her six-year-old daughter Chana, Mr. Rali and Willi Frisch, until the liberation in August 1944. After the war the survivors maintained contact with the Rozentāl family, even after some of them left Latvia. On May 21, 1995, Yad Vashem recognized Friedrich Rozentāls, his wife, Vilhelmina, and his sons, Bruno and Edgars, as Righteous Among the Nations.