Waldenburg
General information: First Jewish presence: 1830; peak Jewish population: 328 in 1880; Jewish population in 1933: 195
Summary: It was not until 1830 that Jews settled in Waldenburg
(present-day Walbrzych, Poland). As they did not obtain
official permission to establish their own community, they
joined the community of nearby Schweidnitz. From 1862
onwards, religious services were conducted Waldenburg in a
large hall, with a seating capacity of 160, on the upper floor
of a two-story building. This prayer room/synagogue served
the community for the next twenty years. We also know that
local Jews consecrated a cemetery in the 1860s.
Finally, in 1878, when the Jews of Waldenburg were
permitted to establish an autonomous community, plans
were made for the construction of a new synagogue. The
community purchased a plot of land on the corner of Wasser
and Topferstrasse, and celebrated the purchase on September
5, 1882, with a large, well-attended ceremony. Construction
was completed in 1883, after which a festive inauguration
took place: in attendance were state and government
dignitaries, local officials and representatives of the Catholic
Church. A Jewish community center was built on the same
site in 1920.
By the early 1930s, anti-Semitic acts were on the rise, with
Nazi youth groups verbally abusing Jewish businessmen.
These acts eventually escalated into physical violence and,
as a result, Jews started leaving Waldenburg. By 1939, only
24 Jews still lived in the town.
The synagogue was burned down on Pogrom Night and
three Jewish-owned businesses were destroyed. Those Jews
who remained in Waldenburg after 1942 were deported to
the camps, where they likely perished.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources; EJL, LJG
Sources; EJL, LJG
Located in: lower-saxony