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JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000049

Oldest Active Synagogue Building in Latvia

Record holder

Kaddish SynagoguePlace

Record value

Built in 1850; currently active

Country: LatviaAchievement location: Daugavpils, LatviaAchievement date: 1850Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Kaddish Synagogue in Daugavpils, Latvia

Exterior of the active Kaddish Synagogue in Daugavpils, photographed on 24 July 2013.Edgars Košovojs / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 3.0

Official record definition

The earliest-built surviving synagogue building in Latvia that currently functions as an active Jewish house of worship. The metric is documented building construction date among the complete current national set of active synagogues; uninterrupted continuous use, congregation founding date, denomination, membership, floor area and seating capacity are outside the metric.

Measurement methodology

National chronology of Latvia's complete current active-synagogue set, comparing documented building dates from municipal, community and independent Jewish-heritage sources.

Measurement point: earliest construction date among currently active synagogue buildings in Latvia

Record story

The Kaddish Synagogue in Daugavpils, Latvia, is the country's oldest active synagogue, having been built in 1850. The record is based on a comparison of documented construction dates for all currently functioning Jewish houses of worship in Latvia, with uninterrupted use not being a requirement. According to the Jewish Community of Latvia, the nation has two active synagogues. The second, Peitav-Shul in Riga, was completed in early 1905, making the Daugavpils building at 38 Cietokšņa Street earlier by 55 years.

Religious life at the synagogue was interrupted during the German occupation and the Holocaust, but communal worship resumed after the war, and the Daugavpils Jewish religious community was formally re-registered in 1947. The building continued to be used during the Soviet period and was comprehensively restored in 2005, with support that included Mark Rothko's children. It remains an active synagogue and also houses the museum 'Jews in Daugavpils and Latgale.'

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
29 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

Daugavpils municipal tourism documentation identifies the Kaddish Synagogue at 38 Cietokšņa Street as built in 1850. Current Jewish-heritage documentation and the national Jewish community's active-synagogue inventory confirm that the Daugavpils building remains an active synagogue.

Superiority evidence

The Jewish Community of Latvia states that Latvia has two active synagogues: Peitav-Shul in Riga and the synagogue in Daugavpils. It dates Peitav-Shul's completion to early 1905; the Daugavpils municipal source and Virtual Shtetl date Kaddish to 1850. The complete current national counter-set therefore closes with Kaddish earlier by 55 years.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Riga Synagogue — Jewish Community of Latvia
  • Kaddish Synagogue in Daugavpils — POLIN Museum / Virtual Shtetl
  • Kadisha — ANU Museum / Synagogues360

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Daugavpils Synagogue — Daugavpils Tourism Information Centre / VisitDaugavpils

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

  • Daugavpils Synagogue

    Official recordDaugavpils Tourism Information Centre / VisitDaugavpils

    What this proves: Identifies the Kaddish Synagogue at 38 Cietokšņa Street and states that it was built in 1850 and fully restored in 2005.

  • Riga Synagogue

    Official recordJewish Community of Latvia

    What this proves: States that Peitav-Shul is one of only two active synagogues in Latvia, the other in Daugavpils, and that the Riga building was completed in early 1905.

  • Kaddish Synagogue in Daugavpils

    Official recordPOLIN Museum / Virtual Shtetl

    What this proves: States that the synagogue was erected in 1850 and is currently one of two active synagogues in Latvia.

  • Kadisha

    Official recordANU Museum / Synagogues360

    What this proves: Dates the Daugavpils synagogue to 1850 and documents its restoration by Mark Rothko's children.

  • Daugavpils synagogue 03 image by Edgars Košovojs — Wikimedia Commons

    Official recordWikimedia Commons· 24 July 2013

    What this proves: Confirms exact-site identity, own-work authorship, 24 July 2013 date and CC BY-SA 3.0 licensing permitting commercial reuse and adaptation.

History

  1. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

  2. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

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