Žaņa Lipkes memoriāls

Dear Friends,

We are very glad to be able to share some wonderful news with you! Thanks to each of your generous donations, we have been able to raise the funds necessary for the purchase of land for the “House of Courage” (Žanis Lipke Memorial).

6 Mazais Balasta dambis, Riga – it is here, across the road from the Žanis Lipke Memorial, that the House of Courage will stand in a few years. A place free of prejudices and stereotypes, the House of Courage will provide an educational centre for discussing the dilemmas and challenges facing modern society, and teach a new generation of Latvians to conduct open dialogue.

To buy the land, it was necessary that we raise € 350,000. Thanks to the support of 273 philanthropists, we exceed this target by € 75 656, which has been used to fund the design of the new building. We are excited to announce that the House of Courage will be built according to a design by the MADE architectural bureau, which was selected from a total of 17 proposals sent to us for consideration.

“House of Courage”, MADE architectural bureau project.

We are happy that the story of a righteous Latvian man has interested so many people – people who are often connected neither to Latvia nor to the Jewish people. We see this as a confirmation of the fact that the acts of the righteous – the acts of people who were ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others – remain an example of humanity to those living today.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your trust and support,

Yours sincerely,

Māris Gailis, Founder of the Žanis Lipke Memorial

Dock worker Žanis Lipke under impossible circumstances saved people who were not considered people by the authorities and neighbours under German occupation. That required courage and friends.

Being brave isn’t easy, being the minority isn’t easy. Hating and suspecting any otherness is easier, it takes no effort.

But we want to live in a country where your fellow men and women are considered people. We would like our society to be brave, reliable, and considerate. Capable of cooperation and self-regulation, not expecting orders “from above”. And we want to work to make it happen.

We want to create a place in Riga for young people to gather and build resistance to automatic stereotyping and common casually repeated hateful myths.

Civic courage is something to be learned, to be taught, to be trained like a muscle, like a racehorse. That is why House of Courage will be a training ground for kids and youngsters of Latvia. Let’s help lionhearts grow their courage and learn to deal with its consequences and side effects too.

House of Courage will be located right next to Žanis Lipke Memorial on the island of Ķīpsala, an integral part of the “Knowledge Mile” that already incorporates several universities, business centres, museums and the National Library of Latvia.

We are aiming high, but the target is well within reach – we want to be the springboard for a new civil society as it researches its history and brings courageous ideas to life, changing the world for the better.

And everyone can lend a hand in reaching this aim. Donate to develop courage in the new generation and the entire society. Donate to Lipke House of Courage!