Leobschuetz
General information: First Jewish presence: 1360; peak Jewish population: 302 in 1862; Jewish population in 1933: 111
Summary: Although Jews lived in Leobschuetz (present-day Glubczyce,
Poland) for approximately 200 years during the Middle
Ages—records from that time mention a Jewish-owned
brewery—they were expelled from the town in 1543. It was
not until 1810, in fact, that Jews returned to Leobschuetz. The community consecrated two cemeteries—one in
1814, the other in 1892—and maintained a prayer hall in
the home of a carpenter (17 Wasserstrasse) until 1865, when
a proper synagogue was built on the corner of Kochanowski
and Koszarowa. A Jewish sisterhood, a charity for transients
and a school for higher education were active in Leobschuetz.
Gustav Hollaender (1855-1915), a renowned Berlin violinist,
composer and conductor, was born in Leobschuetz.
The synagogue was vandalized in 1927, the walls smeared
with anti-Semitic slogans. Nevertheless, Nazi authorities were
unable to enforce their racist laws until 1937, as Leobschuetz
was protected by the League of Nations’ Minority Rights
Convention.
On Pogrom Night, however, Jewish Leobschuetz suffered
the same fate as did Jewish communities all over Germany.
The synagogue was burned to the ground, Jewish-owned
stores and homes were destroyed and 10 men were arrested.
Seventy-four Leobschuetz Jews perished in the camps.

Photo: A postcard showing the synagogue of Leobschuetz, around 1920. Courtesy of: Unknown.
Author / Sources: Ruth Martina Trucks
Sources: EJL, FJG, LJG, YV
www.sztetl.org.pl
Sources: EJL, FJG, LJG, YV
www.sztetl.org.pl
Located in: silesia