Jakov Joffe at the (?)Riga opera.
Jakov
Joffe, born in 1904 in Riga to Shaya-Ichock- Avraham and Chanah Joffe (nee Shulman).
Jakov became an opera singer (baryton) and performed at the Riga Opera house before the war. Some say he became "famous" in his time. He sang also in Lodz (see below, Churbn Lettland: The Destruction of the Jews of Latvia).
The father of the mother of Jakov Joffe, Chanah Joffe nee Shulman was Rabbi Isak Shulman, from Sloka. It is not sure he was born in Sloka, it is his daughter, Chanah, who was born there in 1882, so he was rabbi there probably.
The fate of Jakov is uncertain. He was murdered in end of 1943 or beggining 1944 by the nazis.
From Churbn Lettland: The Destruction of the Jews of Latvia
by Max Kaufmann :
"The famous opera singer Jakob Joffe, who had later been the cantor of the large synagogue of Lodz, did not sing initially except for the occasions when he prayed and sang "Jaale tachnuneinu meerew" (Let our evening prayer rise) and "Min hameizar korasl Jo" (I have called to God in my distress), which was composed by our Riga cantor Rossowski. This... See More singing was unforgettable. The words seemed to come not from his voice, but directly from his heart.
He too came to a tragic end. He escaped from a barracks camp, but was caught and executed. I no longer remember today whether he actually performed in the ghetto."
From The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names :
Click on the document to enlarge
Jakov Joffe was married to Lydia Kaplan, born in 1913 to Philippe Kaplan. She was an artist Before WWII. She fled to Tachkent, as about 1000 jews from Riga, with her daughter Diana (Dina), born in 1937.
After the war, Lydia and Dina Joffe returned to Riga.
Dina Joffe got married to a Joseph Kloczko. She became a ballerina at the Opera house of Riga.
Jakov became an opera singer (baryton) and performed at the Riga Opera house before the war. Some say he became "famous" in his time. He sang also in Lodz (see below, Churbn Lettland: The Destruction of the Jews of Latvia).
The father of the mother of Jakov Joffe, Chanah Joffe nee Shulman was Rabbi Isak Shulman, from Sloka. It is not sure he was born in Sloka, it is his daughter, Chanah, who was born there in 1882, so he was rabbi there probably.
The fate of Jakov is uncertain. He was murdered in end of 1943 or beggining 1944 by the nazis.
From Churbn Lettland: The Destruction of the Jews of Latvia
by Max Kaufmann :
"The famous opera singer Jakob Joffe, who had later been the cantor of the large synagogue of Lodz, did not sing initially except for the occasions when he prayed and sang "Jaale tachnuneinu meerew" (Let our evening prayer rise) and "Min hameizar korasl Jo" (I have called to God in my distress), which was composed by our Riga cantor Rossowski. This... See More singing was unforgettable. The words seemed to come not from his voice, but directly from his heart.
He too came to a tragic end. He escaped from a barracks camp, but was caught and executed. I no longer remember today whether he actually performed in the ghetto."
From The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names :
Click on the document to enlarge
Jakov Joffe was married to Lydia Kaplan, born in 1913 to Philippe Kaplan. She was an artist Before WWII. She fled to Tachkent, as about 1000 jews from Riga, with her daughter Diana (Dina), born in 1937.
Card File of the Jewish Refugee Lydia Joffe in Tashkent. Click on the card file to enlarge
After the war, Lydia and Dina Joffe returned to Riga.
Dina Joffe got married to a Joseph Kloczko. She became a ballerina at the Opera house of Riga.
Dina Joffe in 1958 at the age of 21.
Photos and infos submitted by Jakov Joffe's Grandson (Dina's son), Edik Kloczko
(living in France in 2010).