Zelig Hirsch Kalmanovich (Latvian: Zēligs Hiršs Kalmanovičs; Russian: Зе́лик-Гирш Фа́йвушевич Калмано́вич) (1885–1944) was a Litvak Jewish philologist, translator, historian, and community archivist of the early 20th century.
During his time in the ghetto, Kalmanovich kept a secret diary which is one of the few primary sources recording day-to-day life.
For example, on October 11, 1942, he wrote the following entry in his diary: On Simhat Torah eve at the invitation of the rabbi, I went for services in a house that had formerly been a synagogue and was now a music school ...
Here in the midst of this small congregation, in the poor and ruined synagogue, we are united with the whole house of Israel, not only with those who are here today ... And you in your rejoicing, atone for the sins of a generation that is perishing.
[1]During the Nazi occupation, he was forced to work at the YIVO offices under Nazi supervision, sorting through the pillaged contents of Vilna's libraries and preparing selected volumes for shipment to Germany; these labourers, known as the Paper Brigade, managed to save a portion of these documents from destruction.