For more than 15 years, the Bauska Memorial Committee—comprised of Jehuda Feitelson, Yehudi “Gaf” Gaffen, and Beverley Gaffen Altman—has been working to build a memorial where the Grand Synagogue of Bauska once stood until it was burned down by the Nazis in July 1941. After years of commitment and work, their efforts were realized on October 15, 2017 when the opening of the Memorial Synagogue Garden took place at 35 Riga Street in Bauska, Latvia. The dedication event was organized by the Bauska Memorial Committee, the Bauska County Municipality, and the Council of Jewish Communities of Latvia. Ceremony attendees included Ambassadors from the United States and Germany, political officials of Latvia, various foreign diplomats, historians, members of non-governmental organizations, the Jewish community, residents of Bauska, and the ancestors of Bauska Jews from Latvia, Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
