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/
Sources: EJL, FJG, KND, LJG, YV
www.deutsch-krone.com/jastrow2.htm
www.iajgsjewishcemeteryproject.org/
Located in: posen-west-prussia