I am very pleased to announce that the Latvia SIG will have a full
and interesting program at the IAJGS conference in New York.

Bella Zisere, a current resident of Riga as well as a Ph.D. candidate
at the Institute for Political Studies in Paris, will be presenting
material based on her dissertation research. Entitled, "Memory of the
Holocaust in Latvia:
A Contemporary Debate," Bella's presentation is scheduled as Session
Code 332. Date and time of the presentation is yet to be announced.
A short abstract of the paper and a brief biography of Bella can be
found at: http://www.jgsny2006.org/sessions.cfm

The Latvia SIG luncheon is scheduled for Monday, 14 August and we
hope to have a large turnout. I am happy to announce that David
Michaelson will be our guest speaker and he will talk about his
efforts to restore one of the last wooden synagogues in Eastern
Europe: the Green Synagogue of Rezekne.

Those of you who subscribe to our newsletter, will recall reading
about the remarkable effort made by David in fulfilling his dream.
Briefly, the Green Synagogue is the only synagogue in Rezekne that
survived WWII, and it is the synagogue where David's great-grand-
parents were married. The building now stands empty and condemned.
Dave has attracted the attention of the World Monuments Fund, the
Heritage Conservation Network, and the Latvian Tourism Development
Agency in his effort to restore the synagogue. To hear more about
Dave's remarkable adventure, please register for the SIG luncheon.

The Latvia SIG has also scheduled two SIG meetings. One meeting
will be primarily concerned with Latvia SIG business activities,
including the election of new officers and the status of various
projects and database activities. A complete agenda will be
forthcoming. Highlighting the second meeting will be two complementary
discussions and presentations. Henry Blumberg, the SIG Vice President,
will present and discuss his rare collection of Old Latvia memorabilia
including turn-of-the-century photographs and post cards of long-gone
Latvian shtetls and communities. In contrast, Bella Zisere will talk
about and answer questions concerning contemporary Jewish life in Riga
and other parts of Latvia. Given Bella's research interests and the fact
that she was born and raised in Riga, I can guarantee a lively and
highly productive exchange. So please join us for what promises to be
an exciting and educational meeting.

You can sign up for the SIG luncheon when you register
www.jgsny2006.org/registration.cfm or add it to an existing registration
by logging in at www.jgsny2006.org/registration_update.cfm.

Please note that the luncheon must be registered for as part of the
conference registration procedure or by editing an existing registration.
registration for the luncheon can not be made at the conference.

Have a wonderful Passover and I hope to see many of you at one or more of
the Latvia SIG venues.

Barry Shay
President, Latvia SIG