by Mark Kurzem
Lacplesis
Laima Chocolates
Alex as giving Jews chocolates from
Alex’s education and activities at
and Alex’s first meeting with Uncle
and Alex’s return to Lobe’s command
Jews at
and Kurzems’ Riga visit
as official sponsor of Eighteenth and Second Division
research on
Laima clock
Latvia/Latvians
Alex as “great mascot” of
Alex’s childhood mementos from
Alex’s feelings/views about
Alex’s obligations to
in Australia
complicity of
and Daugavas
Dzenis family and Alex’s flight from
knowledge of Alex’s Jewishness of
Kurzems’ trip to
Lobe as hero to
Mark’s research on
Mark’s views about
nationalist network of
and Nazis
preparations for trip to
reactions to Alex’s story by
red badge of
as refugees
at Saules camp
and skepticism about Alex’s story
and Soviet Union
SS headquarters in
and threats against Alex
warnings to Alex about
See also Riga, Latvia
Latvia State Archive for Audiovisual Documents
Leningrad
Lithuania
Lobe, Karl (Latvian commander)
and Alex as giving Jews chocolates
Alex as joining northern command of
and Alex as prisoner
Alex’s affidavit for
Alex’s feelings/views about
Alex’s first meeting with
Alex’s loyalty to
and Alex’s promotions/demotions
Alex’s relationship with
Alex’s reluctance to speak out about
and Alex’s rescue in Volhov area
and Alex’s SS activities
appearance of
and Carnikava filming
and Dzenis family “adoption” of Alex
and Eighteenth Battalion
and Elli-Mark discussion
and escape from Riga
Lobe, Karl (Latvian commander)
and finding of Alex in forest
and hunting partisans
influence on Alex of
investigation of
and Kulis as caretaker for Alex
as Lacplesis member
as Latvian hero
and Latvia’s role in World War II
letter to Alex from
Mark’s Stockholm meeting with
and Mark’s unanswered questions
Mark’s views about
medal for
memoirs of
and murder of Alex’s family
and Nazis
as police brigade commander
and public’s questions about Alex
and reasons for Alex’s silence
reputation of
and research on Alex’s story
as Second Latvian Division commander
as sending Alex back to Dzenis family
and Slonim massacre
and Smits
at soldiers’ celebration dinner
as SS commander
and story of Alex in forest
in Sweden
and Uncle’s knowledge of Alex’s background
Uncle’s relationship with
uniforms as gifts to Alex from
at Ventspils
and videotape of Alex at Holocaust center
as war criminal
Lobe, Mrs.
Luba (Minsk woman)
Lukashenko, Alexander
Luna Park (Melbourne, Australia), Daugavas-Alex meeting in
M., Professor
mascot
and Alex as “great mascot” to Latvia
and Alex as mascot to Latvian soldiers
as innocent game
Melbourne, Australia. See Australia
Michel (scam artist)
Minsk, Belarus
Einsatzgruppen around
and Frank’s research
Himmler’s visit to
and Kurzems’ Koidanov visit
Lithuanian units near
Panok family near
preparations for Kurzems’ journey to
Solomon Galperin’s move to
See also Reizman, Frida
Moritzburg, Germany
Museum of Occupation (Riga, Latvia)
Natasha (interpreter)
Nazis
and Latvians
and Lobe
and Smits
Nelly (ship)
newspapers
and skepticism about Alex’s story
Smits’s articles about Alex in
and verification of Alex’s story
newsreel
Alex and Mark as viewing
about Alex in Carnikava
Alex’s reactions to seeing
copies of
filming of Carnikava-Dzintari
and Kurzems’ Carnikava visit
and skepticism about Alex’s story
nightmares/dreams, Alex’s
Novackis, Miss (tutor)
Novgorod, Russia, Lobe’s SS troops near
October Street, Koidanov
Osis (Latvian officer)
Otto (Alex’s friend)
Oxford, England
Alex and Patricia in
Alex’s visit to
Elli in
Mark’s reflections about Alex’s story in
Mark’s return to
Professor M. in
Schwartz in
pajama incident, at Dzenises’ house
Panok family
Alex as believing himself to be a member of
Alex as first telling Mark about
as Alex’s childhood friends
Alex’s feelings/memories about
and Alex’s picture in SS uniform
and Alex’s search in atlas
and Alex’s secretiveness
Alex’s ties to
and Alex’s wanderings in forest
and Elli-Mark discussion
Frank’s research on
as Jewish family near Minsk
as key to Alex’s identity
Koidanov connection with
Mark as telling Alex about
Panok family
as mystery
as perishing in Holocaust
and Reizman letter
and researching Alex’s story
and videotape of Alex at Holocaust center
partisan(s)
Anya Katz as member of
as heroes
Jews as
Latvian soldiers’ searches for/killing of
Lobe’s views about
and Solomon and Volodya’s escape from Koidanov
Solomon Galperin as
Stalin’s views about
in Volhov area
Volodya Katz with
photograph(s)
of Aizum and Alex
of Alex in uniform
of Alex with soldiers
anonymously sent
and break-in at Alex’s home
at Carnikava
of Daugavas
of Dzenis family and Alex
of Erick Galperin and family
and escape from Riga
and filming in Carnikava
in Galperin house
of Hana Galperin
of Kulis and Alex
and Kurzems’ Koidanov visit
of Lobe and Alex
of Lobe and wife
of Mark
at railroad
in Reizman letter
at Saules camp
and skepticism about Alex’s story
of Smits and Alex
at Volhov
pigherds, Russian
Port Meadow (Oxford, England)
prisoner of war, Alex as
Prosser, Alice
Alex’s first meeting with
and Alex’s reluctance to tell about
Slonim massacre
background of
and Erick Galperin telephone call
Koidanov research of
and Kurzems’ Koidanov trip
Mark’s meeting with
Patricia’s first meeting with
and Reizman letters/telegram
visits with Alex by
rabbis
railroad
Alex’s adventures on Australian
Latvian soldiers as searching for partisans on
photograph of soldiers and Alex at
Volodya with partisans at
rape, by Latvian soldiers
Red Cross
Reizman, Frida
research on Alex’s story
and analysis of videocassette
in atlas
beginning of Mark’s
and historical context
and Holocaust historians
revenge, Alex’s views about
Riga, Latvia
Alex’s daily life in
Alex’s disgraceful return to
Alex’s early visits to
escape from
Kurzems’ trip to
Mark’s research on Alex’s life in
museums in
SS headquarters in
and verification of Alex’s story
See also Dzenis family; Laima Chocolates
Riga Orphan’s Court, documents from
Rockhampton, Australia, Alex’s trip to
Rozes (Latvian soldier)
Rubenis, Captain (Latvian soldier)
Rumbula, extermination of Jews at
Russia/Russians
Alex’s childhood mementos from
Alex’s views about
Alex with SS troops in
Belarus’s alignment with
and escape from Riga
and Latvia
and Lobe investigation
and massacres by Kurzeme Battalion
and World War II as Great Patriotic
War
“S” camp
Alex with soldiers at
Mark’s research on
as mystery
Stolbtsi as possibly
Saules camp (Geesthacht, Germany)
and documents concerning Alex
Dzenis family and Alex in
photographs taken at
Schwartz, Samuel
Schwerin, Germany, and escape from Riga
Siegel family
Slavits, Miss (film archivist)
Slonim massacre
Smits, Arnold
soldiers, American
soldiers, British
soldiers, German
and Alex’s SS activities
Alex’s views about
at Dzenises’ home
and escape from Riga
and Lobe’s SS troops on Russian front
near Koidanov
in newsreel
on patrol with Latvian soldiers
photographs of Alex with
surrender of
soldiers, Latvian
“adoption” of Alex by
and Alex as Jew
Alex’s feelings/views about
and Alex’s nationality
Alex’s relationship with
Alex’s story as cover-up for
Alex with
drinking/partying by
Eighteenth Battalion of
finding of Alex in forest by
German soldiers on patrol with
investigation of
Jewish boy killed by
Jews/partisans searched for
and Koidanov massacre
Laima as official sponsor of
Mark’s research on
massacre of Jews by
and murder of Alex’s family
as part of Wehrmacht
photographs of Alex with
as police brigade
railway patrol of
as Second Division
and Slonim massacre
as SS unit
“training” of Alex by
as urging Alex to kill Jews
views about Jews of
in Volhov
and women
See also specific people’s names
soldiers, Lithuanian
Soviet Union. See Russia/Russians
SS
Alex as volunteer in
Alex in uniform of
and Einsatzgruppen
insignia
Latvian headquarters of
and photographs of Kulis and Alex
Stalin, Josef
Steuben (ship)
Stolbtsi (Belarus village)
survivors
and Alex as survivor
Professor M.’s comments about
Sweden
and investigation of Lobe
Lobe in
Mark’s visit with Lobe in
synagogue
and Alex’s affidavit for Lobe
Alex’s nightmares about
massacre at
See also burning building
Tillers (Latvian soldier)
“treasure,” Dzenis
two-up story
Uncle. See Dzenis, Jekabs “Uncle”
uniforms, Alex’s
Alex’s feelings/memories about
Auntie’s views about
burning of
and escape from Riga
as gifts from Lobe
and Kurzems’ Carnikava visit
and lessons at chocolate factory
Lobe’s views about
photographs of Alex in
SS
and transformations of Kurzeme Battalion
United States
Alex’s views about
Kulis in
as refuge
Upe (Latvian soldier)
Valdemara Street (Riga, Latvia)
Alex’s memories of
Dzenis home on
and escape from Riga
and Kurzems’ Latvia trip
research on
See also Dzenis family
Velikiye Luki (Russian village)
Ventspils, Latvia
letter to Alex from
Lobe at
Vezis, Corporal (Latvian soldier)
videotape made at Holocaust center
interview on
Mark’s analysis of
and Mark’s relationship with Alex
Patricia’s viewing of
and verification of Alex’s story
as way of telling Alex’s story to family members
Volhov area (Russia)
Alex’s encountering partisans in
Alex’s wanderings in
Anya with partisans in
bodies found in
Latvian soldiers in
photographs of Kulis and Alex in
Volhov area (Russia)
and researching Alex’s story
Volodya with partisans in
Wannsee Conference (1942)
war crimes investigators, visit to Alex’s home by
war criminals. See also specific people’s names
Wiesenthal Center
Wilkomirski, Benjamin
Williamstown Beach (Melbourne, Australia)
Alex and Mark’s visit to
Mark’s conversation with his mother at
World War II
Alex’s feelings about
ending of
as Great Patriotic War
Latvia’s role in
yellow star, Jewish
Zakkini Brothers
* I also learned much later that the Lithuanian troop had been led by Antonas Gecevicius. Now known as Anthony Gecas, he ha
d been found in 2001 alive and well in Edinburgh, under the auspices of the British government. Our subsequent involvement in the intricacies of the Gecevicius affair would bring us into contact with the Lithuanian government. Although this incident and others related to the whitewashing of Latvia’s past were merely peripheral to the story of my father’s quest for his identity, they were central to our efforts to validate my father’s search, because accusations against my father were made public and never retracted; the resulting damage to his reputation distracted us from our pursuit of the truth. However, these incidents speak of the impact of a small boy’s story on contemporary political and national self-interest and the ends to which my father and I had to fight for the truth of his memory.