Latvia's top government officials and Jewish leaders on
Wednesday unveiled a memorial to Latvians who tried to save Jews during World War II.

Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga unveiled the memorial, a large white wall tilting on short legs that are inscribed with the names of those who saved Jews.

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"These people - 269 in all if I am not mistaken - put their lives to risk. This was a special kind of heroism," Vike-Freiberga, whose term as president ends on
Saturday, told the 200 people gathered at the ceremony in downtown Riga.

The memorial, designed by Latvian artist Elina Lazdina, is located on the site of a synagogue that was burned down on July 4, 1941, killing an unidentified number of Jews who had hidden inside. July 4 is therefore regarded a day of
mourning for Latvia's Jewish community.

Some 70,000 Jews were killed in Latvia during the war.