For much of my life I have dreamed of finding where my ancestors come from. It was a kind of romantic notion that I would visit the village in Latvia, walk down the streets, and know in my heart more about a family that I know so little about. There have always been questions that no-one could ever really answer, and that I just never was able to ask for so many reasons. And I have just spent a week in Latvia and was able to visit the village where my grandmother was born - LUDZA.
Riga is the capital of Latvia and I flew into Riga on 8th July after my week in Croatia, and the day of travelling on Sunday was the most hectic day - with my first plane delayed and then while waiting to check in for flight at Frankfurt airport, the police suddenly evacuated the airport terminal and besides shouting order in German, we didn't know what was going on - its was quite scary and chaotic, resulting in an hour and half delay in that flight and when eventually arriving in Riga, another hour delay in receiving the luggage - wow it felt like Friday the 13th.
Riga is a beautiful city and I stayed in such a lovely hotel in the old city - it was easy to wander the streets and experience the culture and magic and get an idea of Latvia.
On Monday I started exploring and visited the museum of occupation which was a very heart wrenching and emotionally touching experience. This country has been through so much for hundreds of years from revolutions to the first and second world wars, the Nazis concentration camps and over 70 000 Jews being killed in the forest outside Riga, Rumbula. I found this museum such a painful experience and couldn't stay there for too long. After Croatia and seeing where they have come back from and now Latvia, it puts life in Africa into another perspective. And this became evident when while walking past the main government buildings in Riga, where I was admiring their food garden outside their official building, I saw 4 men with protest placards across the road and went over to talk to them. One was from Ivory Coast, 2 from Pakistan and the 4th a local Latvian. They are Political Asylum Seekers in Latvia, protesting about human rights abuses in Pakistan. There they were sitting with the statements of protest and we had a wonderful conversation, they allowed me to take their photos and talk about them on my blog - which I am doing now - but what became evident to me as I walked away is that the world has changed and we all have far more freedom. Freedom to protest, freedom to express our views, freedom that 20 years ago was unheard of or just not allowed. And utilising this freedom to make the changes and be heard is a responsibility that we all carry. My visit to the museum of occupation had showed what taking away people's freedom creates, and the fact that these 4 men can sit, peacefully, with their feelings expressed on cardboard and apply for asylum each for their own reason, is a reflection of how much things have changed.
On Tuesday I visited the Jewish Museum and met Bella - the wonderful woman who manages the data and seems to knows everything about the Jewish history of Latvia. Bella speaks Yiddish, a language my mother and grand-mother would use when they didn't want us to know what they were saying, and language is not my forte' but we were able to communicate and Bella got onto her computer and starting finding information for me like a true professional.
What I discovered is that although Chaitow is the surname my Great-Grandfather was given when landing in South Africa in 1909 but it seems the surname that they had here was in fact Haitow pronounced Ghai - Tov - which means if translated literally - Good Life.
And that is what I feel their life was like here besides the fact that the Jews seemed to have always had a really hard time being who they are and always had to get permission to exist in so much of the history I have been able to find. But the country is beautiful, its green and lush, with amazing lakes, forests, rivers, and there are vegetables and flowers growing everywhere, and an essence of goodness and gentleness in the people that live here. And their craft, their music, their art is so authentic and real coming from the heart and everything is done so beautifully with so much love and care. And I resonate with this land so much, each house and garden, the gentleness, the lushness, it feels so much like home and in a way fills so much of how I have always wanted to live and be. And much what I have found by living in the Garden Route, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Bella put me in contact with a woman - Rita Bogdanova, from State Archives of Latvia (Latvian State Historical Archives) who seems to have found something about my family and I quote :
Dear Nidhi,
There were some families in Ludza, but in order to identify your family I need to know the date of birth of Haim and Bertha. According to the Census for 1897 a family Haitow where son Haim was born in ca 1886 lived by that time in Ludza, at Doctor Street 28-2. As far as I know now it should be Mayaskovsky Street. But you can ask there. I would suggest you can visit the Ludza library.
Best wishes, Rita
When I was planning my visit to Latvia, I found Ludza on the map, and my cousin, Sasha, confirmed this for me as she has been working on the family history too. Sasha's grandfather Max was my grandmother Lily's brother. I booked a hotel to stay in a town called Rezekne which is 30km away from Ludza and where I stayed for 2 nights. These towns form part of the Latgale, which is one of the four historical and cultural regions of Latvia. It is the easternmost region north of the Daugava River. My great-grandfather Heim Haitow or Chaim Chaitow arrived in South Africa on 22 Jan 1909 which means he left some time in 1908 and it the information from Rita is correct he was only 22 years old - he had a wife and 3 children, and when exactly that Bertha and her children arrived in South Africa is not information that I have been able to find.
Thursday 12 July I went to Ludza and walked on the land in the town where my grand-mother and her brothers were born, and it was a day filled with so much synchroncity and I met really amazing people. I decided to take a taxi to Ludza and when I arrived at the town hall and got out of the car, I realised that I didn't really have a plan, so I did what Rita suggested, and went to the Library. Ligita, who works in the research section, cannot speak English but some how I was able to explain what I was looking for and she called the director of the library, a woman called Inta Kusnere who speaks English and was so helpful. She offered to help me after her lunch hour, and we planned to meet at 13h00 - so I had an hour and went walking around Ludza.
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Its hard to explain how I was feeling. Much of this journey has been a fulfillment of my dreams and yet this was completely different. Inta has told me that the Mayakovsky Street is now called Reskasova Street and after about half an hour of wandering around this very cold and lifeless old town, I found it. As I walked around trying to feel something of the energy of ancestors, I felt very little and whenever I came across a local person they looked at me like I was an alien. This was one of the most loneliest moments I have experienced in my life. And when I found Reskasova Street and looked for 28, I didn't feel that romance or have heart flutters that I had imagined. And I found an old house with so little energy - no 28. I took some photos and wished I could have knocked on the door and speak to the people about who I was and what I was looking for, but didn't - instead I sprinkled the water from my bottle and said a little prayer, honouring this as my ancestral roots and connection to times from long ago, and as I walked up the street, a tear rolled down my cheek and I felt the connection to my ancestors and acknowledged where we come from.
I met Inta just after 1 and we went to the Social Services department to search the birth records and see if we could find anything about the Haitow family. Irena works her, a very sweet woman, who pulled out book after book but couldn't find anything except Mushka Hatiow born in 1866. Who she is still will have to be investigated. Although Irena can't speak English, I observed that she had gardeners fingers while she was showing me how to search the website, and there was a book next to her computer about medicinal plants. We start sharing our passion for healing plants and through Inta she explained that this is a new hobby for her and that her grand-mother had worked with medicinal, healing plants. She loves Hypericum - plants have Latin names which is universal and we could communicate using these - what a blessing.
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As we were about to leave, Inta's boss, the deputy Mayor of Ludza was there, and she asked him to take us to the Jewish Cemetery and we drove out of town, through the most beautiful countryside to get there. The cemetery is really big, and because it was raining we didn't spend much time there and of course I don't read Hebrew so finding anything about my family was not possible, but just being there overlooking a lake, in a forest of trees seeing so many graves, was haunting and deeply touching. Another moment of connection to my history.
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Inta then took me to the Synagogue which is completely stripped inside and filled with mess - she said that its been like that for many years and what was interesting is that some people from Israel were due to visit in a weeks time to assess the situation. I felt like I wanted to do something too - it was so eerie to see it and feel it stripped and dilapidated.
The Ludza Tourism department put out a booklet Discover Ludza as a promotion of this beautiful, ancient town written in English and Latvian. When I read the booklet the English content is not the greatest translation and Inta took me to the tourism office to discuss this with them. I offered to assist them with a correction and editing of their English copy and they were so happy and accepting of the assistance - I feel that this is a gift that I can give to this town, they so need tourism and people to visit their amazing little town - and as they explained to me, that getting the older inhabitants to change and look positively towards visitors is their challenge.
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So that was my visit to Ludza, and when I left I felt a sadness and a connection and had invitations from Inta and the tourism office to come back, bring my daughter, and stay longer next time. It feels such an honour to write and edit their copy and I know that I was able to share my rhythm and my light with them. I am extremely grateful and thankful for this experience and am so happy that I fulfilled this dream.
Latvia is a wonderful ancestral country, and I will hold my week there deep within my heart for ever. And its off to Russia, and that is another story which you will read in due course.
Until next time, be blessed and thank you for your constant support and encouragement, I feel extremely blessed and inspired as I write each post.
Om Shanti Om xxx
Riga is the capital of Latvia and I flew into Riga on 8th July after my week in Croatia, and the day of travelling on Sunday was the most hectic day - with my first plane delayed and then while waiting to check in for flight at Frankfurt airport, the police suddenly evacuated the airport terminal and besides shouting order in German, we didn't know what was going on - its was quite scary and chaotic, resulting in an hour and half delay in that flight and when eventually arriving in Riga, another hour delay in receiving the luggage - wow it felt like Friday the 13th.Riga is a beautiful city and I stayed in such a lovely hotel in the old city - it was easy to wander the streets and experience the culture and magic and get an idea of Latvia.
On Monday I started exploring and visited the museum of occupation which was a very heart wrenching and emotionally touching experience. This country has been through so much for hundreds of years from revolutions to the first and second world wars, the Nazis concentration camps and over 70 000 Jews being killed in the forest outside Riga, Rumbula. I found this museum such a painful experience and couldn't stay there for too long. After Croatia and seeing where they have come back from and now Latvia, it puts life in Africa into another perspective. And this became evident when while walking past the main government buildings in Riga, where I was admiring their food garden outside their official building, I saw 4 men with protest placards across the road and went over to talk to them. One was from Ivory Coast, 2 from Pakistan and the 4th a local Latvian. They are Political Asylum Seekers in Latvia, protesting about human rights abuses in Pakistan. There they were sitting with the statements of protest and we had a wonderful conversation, they allowed me to take their photos and talk about them on my blog - which I am doing now - but what became evident to me as I walked away is that the world has changed and we all have far more freedom. Freedom to protest, freedom to express our views, freedom that 20 years ago was unheard of or just not allowed. And utilising this freedom to make the changes and be heard is a responsibility that we all carry. My visit to the museum of occupation had showed what taking away people's freedom creates, and the fact that these 4 men can sit, peacefully, with their feelings expressed on cardboard and apply for asylum each for their own reason, is a reflection of how much things have changed.  |
| Bella |
What I discovered is that although Chaitow is the surname my Great-Grandfather was given when landing in South Africa in 1909 but it seems the surname that they had here was in fact Haitow pronounced Ghai - Tov - which means if translated literally - Good Life.
And that is what I feel their life was like here besides the fact that the Jews seemed to have always had a really hard time being who they are and always had to get permission to exist in so much of the history I have been able to find. But the country is beautiful, its green and lush, with amazing lakes, forests, rivers, and there are vegetables and flowers growing everywhere, and an essence of goodness and gentleness in the people that live here. And their craft, their music, their art is so authentic and real coming from the heart and everything is done so beautifully with so much love and care. And I resonate with this land so much, each house and garden, the gentleness, the lushness, it feels so much like home and in a way fills so much of how I have always wanted to live and be. And much what I have found by living in the Garden Route, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Bella put me in contact with a woman - Rita Bogdanova, from State Archives of Latvia (Latvian State Historical Archives) who seems to have found something about my family and I quote :
Dear Nidhi,
There were some families in Ludza, but in order to identify your family I need to know the date of birth of Haim and Bertha. According to the Census for 1897 a family Haitow where son Haim was born in ca 1886 lived by that time in Ludza, at Doctor Street 28-2. As far as I know now it should be Mayaskovsky Street. But you can ask there. I would suggest you can visit the Ludza library.
Best wishes, Rita
When I was planning my visit to Latvia, I found Ludza on the map, and my cousin, Sasha, confirmed this for me as she has been working on the family history too. Sasha's grandfather Max was my grandmother Lily's brother. I booked a hotel to stay in a town called Rezekne which is 30km away from Ludza and where I stayed for 2 nights. These towns form part of the Latgale, which is one of the four historical and cultural regions of Latvia. It is the easternmost region north of the Daugava River. My great-grandfather Heim Haitow or Chaim Chaitow arrived in South Africa on 22 Jan 1909 which means he left some time in 1908 and it the information from Rita is correct he was only 22 years old - he had a wife and 3 children, and when exactly that Bertha and her children arrived in South Africa is not information that I have been able to find.
 |
| These are Lucy's Latvian cousins - left Vita and right Maria |
 |
| Litiga |
Thursday 12 July I went to Ludza and walked on the land in the town where my grand-mother and her brothers were born, and it was a day filled with so much synchroncity and I met really amazing people. I decided to take a taxi to Ludza and when I arrived at the town hall and got out of the car, I realised that I didn't really have a plan, so I did what Rita suggested, and went to the Library. Ligita, who works in the research section, cannot speak English but some how I was able to explain what I was looking for and she called the director of the library, a woman called Inta Kusnere who speaks English and was so helpful. She offered to help me after her lunch hour, and we planned to meet at 13h00 - so I had an hour and went walking around Ludza..JPG) |
| 28 Reskasova Street |
.JPG)
Its hard to explain how I was feeling. Much of this journey has been a fulfillment of my dreams and yet this was completely different. Inta has told me that the Mayakovsky Street is now called Reskasova Street and after about half an hour of wandering around this very cold and lifeless old town, I found it. As I walked around trying to feel something of the energy of ancestors, I felt very little and whenever I came across a local person they looked at me like I was an alien. This was one of the most loneliest moments I have experienced in my life. And when I found Reskasova Street and looked for 28, I didn't feel that romance or have heart flutters that I had imagined. And I found an old house with so little energy - no 28. I took some photos and wished I could have knocked on the door and speak to the people about who I was and what I was looking for, but didn't - instead I sprinkled the water from my bottle and said a little prayer, honouring this as my ancestral roots and connection to times from long ago, and as I walked up the street, a tear rolled down my cheek and I felt the connection to my ancestors and acknowledged where we come from. .JPG) |
| Irena |
.JPG)
As we were about to leave, Inta's boss, the deputy Mayor of Ludza was there, and she asked him to take us to the Jewish Cemetery and we drove out of town, through the most beautiful countryside to get there. The cemetery is really big, and because it was raining we didn't spend much time there and of course I don't read Hebrew so finding anything about my family was not possible, but just being there overlooking a lake, in a forest of trees seeing so many graves, was haunting and deeply touching. Another moment of connection to my history.
.JPG)
Inta then took me to the Synagogue which is completely stripped inside and filled with mess - she said that its been like that for many years and what was interesting is that some people from Israel were due to visit in a weeks time to assess the situation. I felt like I wanted to do something too - it was so eerie to see it and feel it stripped and dilapidated. The Ludza Tourism department put out a booklet Discover Ludza as a promotion of this beautiful, ancient town written in English and Latvian. When I read the booklet the English content is not the greatest translation and Inta took me to the tourism office to discuss this with them. I offered to assist them with a correction and editing of their English copy and they were so happy and accepting of the assistance - I feel that this is a gift that I can give to this town, they so need tourism and people to visit their amazing little town - and as they explained to me, that getting the older inhabitants to change and look positively towards visitors is their challenge.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Latvia is a wonderful ancestral country, and I will hold my week there deep within my heart for ever. And its off to Russia, and that is another story which you will read in due course.
Until next time, be blessed and thank you for your constant support and encouragement, I feel extremely blessed and inspired as I write each post.
Om Shanti Om xxx
lovely Nids. Well done. I look forward to spending time listening to your stories too.
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