Jastrow

General information: First Jewish presence: in or around the year 1600; peak Jewish population: 509 in 1849; Jewish population in 1932/33: 200
Summary: The Jewish population of Jastrow grew from 121 in 1771 to 509 in 1849. In 1867, the community, with which the Jews of Zippnow and Briesenitz were affiliated, replaced its 18thcentury synagogue with a new house of worship at 2 Kleine Strasse. Jastrow’s Jewish cemetery had been consecrated in the 18th century. Two hundred Jews lived in the village in 1932/33. Rabbi Dr. Rosenzweig served the community, as did a shochet and a teacher/chazzan, the latter of whom instructed 28 Jewish schoolchildren from Jastrow’s religious, primary and secondary schools. Active in the community were a chevra kadisha (founded in 1875), the Rausnitz Legat Foundation, a Jewish women’s association (1899) and a Jewish youth league. In 1938, the authorities “aryanized” the famous Simon Tobacco Factory, which had been founded by Hirsch Ephraim Simon in the early 19th century. That same year, on Pogrom Night (November 9-10, 1938), rioters destroyed the synagogue and damaged Jewish-owned stores; local Jewish men were arrested and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where at least one of them died. In March 1940, Jastrow’s remaining Jews were sent to the Buergergarten camp, from which they were deported to the camps in Eastern Europe. At least 23 local Jews perished in the Shoah. As of this writing, the possible restoration of the Jewish cemetery—it was desecrated during the Nazi period—is now under consideration. In February 2011, representatives from a variety of organizations met in Jastrow to discuss the topic.
Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn
Sources: EJL, FJG, KND, LJG, YV
www.deutsch-krone.com/jastrow2.htm
www.iajgsjewishcemeteryproject.org/
Located in: posen-west-prussia