Murder story of Jelgava Jews at the Jelgava Great Synagogue

On July 3, 1941, several dozen local Jews sought refuge in the Great Synagogue, which stood on the bank of the Driksa River. Then, Latvian forces surrounded the synagogue and ordered the Jews, including the rabbi, to leave the house of worship, threatening to set the synagogue on fire. The Jews refused to leave. The Latvian policemen acted on their threat and set fire to the building.

According to eyewitnesses, the policemen used gasoline, grenades, and machine guns to set the Great Synagogue on fire. During the ensuing conflagration, they shot those trying to escape from the building through the doors and the windows.

Firefighters were supervising the fire, making sure that it would not spread to other buildings in the neighborhood.