Loecknitz

Summary: Records suggest that a Jewish family first settled in Loecknitz in the early 19th century. The community, members of which were mainly craftsmen and merchants, never experienced considerable growth. In Loecknitz, Jews established a prayer room on the upper floor of a commercial building, where the rabbi from Pasewalk conducted services three times a year. Local Jews were affiliated with the community in Pasewalk, and it was at the cemetery there that they buried their dead. Beginning in April 1933, Nazis and their supporters often hung boycott posters on Jewish-owned shops. Later, on Pogrom Night (November 10, 1938), SA and SS men vandalized the prayer room, smashing windows and burning—this was done outside the building—furniture, books and ritual objects. A Jewish family was assaulted that night. After the beginning of World War II, Jews were sent to a camp located between Prenzlau and Pasewalk. In February 1940, most local Jews were deported to the concentration and extermination camps in Eastern Europe. At least 18 Loecknitz Jews were murdered in the Shoah. In 1988, a memorial stele was unveiled at the site of the former prayer room. The stele was desecrated several times during 2003, as a result of which it was replaced, in 2010, with a commemorative stone; the stone, too, was vandalized in 2011.

Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn
Sources: FJG, LJG, SIA, W-G, YV
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