Presentation of the book “Right to Live”: The Life Story of Ella Medalje — Survivor of the Rumbula massacre
February 16, 2026, 6:00 PM
Museum “Jews in Latvia”, Skolas Street 6, 3rd floor
Admission with prior registration (registration until February 12)
On February 16, 2026, the Museum “Jews in Latvia” will host the presentation of the book “Right to Live” — Translation of Ella Medalje’s Memories, Testimony of a Survivor of the Rumbula massacre.
Ella Medalje was a Latvian Jew, born in Tukums. During the Nazi occupation, she was a prisoner of the Riga ghetto, and on December 8, 1941, she was taken to Rumbula, where approximately twenty-five thousand people were killed in two days. Ella Medalje managed to escape by convincing her persecutors that she was not Jewish, as well as thanks to people who, risking their lives, provided her with shelter and support.
Several decades later, Ella Medalje’s story was recorded by David Zilberman, a Holocaust researcher who has dedicated his life to preserving the testimonies of its eyewitnesses.
The book “The Right to Live” is not just Ella Medalje’s memories — her story is complemented by investigative documents in the case of Viktors Arajs, who led the unit responsible for the mass murders of Jews in Latvia. The book also includes a transcript of Ella Medalje’s interview and her correspondence with David Zilberman. This makes the publication a multi-layered testimony, revealing events from multiple perspectives.
The reader initially gets to know the tragedy from a first-person perspective — through the eyes of Ella Medalje. Then the same events are revealed as the subject of a legal investigation: documents, interrogations, examination of testimonies – a long and difficult path to justice. In turn, the correspondence with David Zilberman reveals a human perspective on the post-war decades – hopes and disappointments, as well as changes in the life of the state and society. Ultimately, it is also a book about the fact that justice can prevail, even if it takes many years.
David Zilberman remembers how in 1965 he first asked Ella Medalje to tell her story. At that time, she replied: “So much time has passed! I have been waiting for a long time to be called to testify about Nazi crimes, but no one has been interested so far. Is it really still important after so many years?” The publication of the book in Latvian today is a clear answer to this question – yes, it is still important.
“This is a book not only about the Holocaust and not only about the killing of tens of thousands of Latvian Jews. It is a book about willpower and, most importantly, about mutual assistance — about the readiness to see a fellow human being as a person and to lend a helping hand,” says Ilja Lensky, director of the “Jews in Latvia” museum.
About Ella Medalje
Ella Medalje (born Gutmane, 1913–1999) grew up in Tukums, graduated from Tukums State Gymnasium, received a pedagogical education and worked as a Latvian language teacher in Jewish elementary schools in Riga and Kurzeme. In 1939, Ella married, but the young family’s future plans were shattered by World War II. Most of Latvia’s Jews were killed in the Holocaust, including all of Ella’s relatives, including her husband Pinhas. This book is Ella’s story of her miraculous escape from the Nazi massacre of Jews in Rumbula on December 8, 1941, as well as the people who gave her shelter and support, granting her the right to live. The first edition of the book in Latvian was based on Ella Medalje’s testimonies, which were recorded in 1965 by David Zilberman.
About David Zilberman
David Zilberman was born in Preili in 1934. During World War II, his family lived as refugees. For many years, he was engaged in recording and publishing the memoirs of Holocaust eyewitnesses, considering this work his moral duty — a responsibility towards those who did not manage to escape. Thanks to the work of David Zilberman, the stories of Frida Michelson, Ella Medalje and other Holocaust survivors have become known to the wider public. On his initiative and with his financial support, a Holocaust Memorial was established in Preili. In 2014, David Zilberman was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Preili Municipality, and in 2019 he received the Order of the Three Stars — the highest Latvian state award.
About the book
The book was published at the end of 2025. The publication was created in cooperation with the ICEJ Latvia association, with the support of co-author David Zilberman, the Latvian Jewish Community Restitution Fund, the Uniting Foundation and the Embassy of Israel in Latvia. The compilers and scientific editors of the book are Dr. hist. Dzintars Erglis, Mg. hist. Arturs Zvinklis and Inna Stamere. The editor-in-chief is Ilze Saulite, the literary editor is Jolanta Treile. The book cover design uses a fragment from Aleksandra Beļcova’s sketch series “Riga Ghetto”.
About the presentation
The book’s compilers, as well as people who personally knew Ella Medalje or her rescuers, will participate in the presentation.
Entry to the event is by prior registration only. Registration is mandatory and must be completed by February 12 (recommended).
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“Reading this book, it is impossible not to notice what language the “liberators from Jewish Bolshevism” or “bringers of the new order” spoke. […] The language that was heard all around was, unfortunately, Latvian. Moreover, these torturers and murderers of Jews did it completely out of free will. […] However, these Latvian-speaking sadists and murderers do not represent the Latvian people. By their actions, they have placed themselves outside of it. I would very much like to believe that the people’s memory will forever remember the words of other of its representatives – the rescuers of Ella Medalje: Trine Hartmane, Ella’s former neighbor in Tukums, who was not afraid to confirm that Ella was her “relative – a Latvian”, as well as the Parash and Perevoski families, who provided shelter to the persecuted Jewess. They are the pride and honor of our people.”
Artūrs Žvinklis, Dzintars Ērglis, Ina Stāmere
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“I invite the Latvian reader of this book to reflect on the tragic history of the Holocaust in Latvia and wish them to realize that true peace and prosperity can only exist in a society whose values are based on the moral principles of our noble book – the Bible. […] Only on this basis can a safe and equal society be created, in which justice flourishes and there is no prejudice against fellow human beings due to their ethnicity or other differences.”
David Zilberman
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“Remembering the events of the Holocaust is not only a historical duty to honor the memory of the victims of the tragedy – it is also a warning! Hatred does not disappear by itself – it grows when memory fades and silence takes over. This book is dedicated to the story of Ella’s experience, so that future generations can learn from it, remember and never again allow this kind of darkness to prevail.”
Sandra Simovich, Ambassador of Israel in Latvia
