File:Rabbi Chaim Lubotski (17640433632).jpg

Rabbi Chaim Lubotski was a rabbi in the city of Rezhitsa. Rezhitsa was part of the Russian Empire from 1772 to 1917.It was part of the Vitebsk Governorate from 1802 to 1917. In 1917, the city chose to unite with the new Latvian state that was being forged at the time. It also reverted to its older Latvian name - Rēzekne. It still goes by this name today and is currently located in present-day Latvia. Before the German occupation in World War II, the city had a large Jewish population - about 6,000 Jews out of 25,000 total residents. Almost all of them were murdered by the Nazis, including Rabbi Chaim Lubotski, who was 75 years old at the time. It is said that he and ten other Jews were murdered at the Jewish cemetery in the city. This stamp most likely comes from before 1917, during the time when the Russian Empire controlled Rezhitsa, as it has Russian writing using the orthography from before the Revolution and the name of the city is given as “Rezhitsa”, not “Rēzekne.”


This book stamp is from a book looted by the Nazis and sorted by Colonel Seymour Pomrenze, one of “the Monuments Men,” at the Offenbach Archival Depot.


There are two scrapbooks of archival markings from the books sorted at the Offenbach Depot in the Seymour Pomrenze Collection held by the American Jewish Historical Society (Call number P-933) There is a finding aid for the collection here The digitized scrapbooks are available here and here.


For more information on this project check the Center’s blog: 16thstreet.tumblr.com/tagged/Offenbach-Depot


Dr. Mitch Fraas, Acting Director of the Digital Humanities Forum at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries' Special Collections Center is working on a similar project for the German book stamps based on NARA microfilm of the volumes the American Jewish Historical Society currently holds. See viewshare.org/views/mfraas/offenbach-bookplates/


The Center for Jewish History would like to acknowledge the following: The American Jewish Historical Society, who graciously allowed the use of their archival materials and digital content; Mitch Fraas, Acting Director of the Digital Humanities Forum at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries' Special Collections Center, for his data and technical assistance in this project; David Rosenberg, Reference Services Research Coordinator, and Melanie Meyers, Senior Reference Services Librarian for Special Collections, for managing and creating the digital map; and Reference Services Intern Ilya Slavutskiy for his work on translating and mapping.