קהילת יהודי מידז'יז'ץ'

Miedzyrzecz

In German: Meseritz 

A town and capital of Międzyrzecz County in Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland. Until 1945 it was part of Germany.

First Jewish presence: 14th century; peak Jewish population: 1,155 in 1840 (24% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: 105

Annexed by Prussia in 1793, the town of Miedzyrzecz was not returned to Poland until 1945. Jews had settled in Meseritz in the 14th century, and their numbers increased in the early 16th century. Feared as economic competitors, Jews were often expelled from the town during the 16th and 17th centuries; in the decades leading up to and following 1700, a combination of wars and pestilence claimed the lives of many Meseritz citizens, including those of 1,700 Jews. In 1795, however, 560 Jews lived in the town (18 % of the total population). In 1824, much of the Jewish quarter and the 35-year old synagogue were destroyed in a fire. One year later, the community established a new synagogue in the classical style. The Jewish population dropped markedly during the second half of the 19th century, so that very few Jews lived in Meseritz on Pogrom Night (November 9, 1938), when the synagogue was burned down, the few remaining Jewish-owned stores were destroyed, and the Jewish men imprisoned. By March 1940, all remaining Jews had been sent to detention camps, from which they were later deported to the Nazi concentration and death camps in eastern Europe.

--------------------------------------------

This entry was originally published on Beit Ashkenaz - Destroyed German Synagogues and Communities website and contributed to the Database of the Museum of the Jewish People courtesy of Beit Ashkenaz.