Bremen, Germany

BREMEN, Free Hanseatic city, Germany. There is evidence of individual Jews in Bremen from the 14th century. The first community within the city came about following the annexation by Bremen in 1803 of the neighboring town of Hastedt, which had a Jewish community from the 18th century. Jews were only allowed to live within city limits under French rule (1811-13). In 1825, 50 Jews were living in Hastedt and only 13 within the city limits. After 1848, practically all of the Hastedt Jews moved to Bremen, where the religious services were now performed. The Jewish population was 100 in 1860, but then swelled to 798 in 1900 and 1,329 in 1922 due to an influx of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. In 1876, the community dedicated a synagogue and in 1898 engaged Leopold Rosenak as its first rabbi. The newcomers from Eastern Europe, mostly Orthodox, maintained two prayer rooms. Since the city was a port for overseas emigration thousands of Jews spent some time in Bremen. For these temporary residents, the community established a small synagogue. For its own needs, it set up an old age home (1922) and a community center (1927). Both the liberal Central Union (C.V.) and Zionist organizations found supporters among community members. In the 1920s, brutal antisemitic attacks foreshadowed coming events. At the time of the Nazi takeover in 1933, there were 1,314 Jews living in Bremen. Riots took place even before the boycott of Jewish businesses on 1 April 1934. The boycott measures continued and by 1935 various businesses had to be closed down. The community was unable to maintain several of its institutions, but it did manage to step up its internal cultural life to counter the growing social isolation. On Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938), the synagogue, which had already previously been the target of acts of violence, was set on fire and the cemetery was desecrated. Jewish men were arrested and imprisoned in the Bremen-Oslebshausen jail. By 1941, at least 431 Jews from Bremen had managed to emigrate abroad. Deportations from Bremen began in November 1941 and continued until September 1942. The last deportation included 180 from the Jewish old age home. Altogether, 500 Jews from Bremen were deported directly from the city. After 1945, a Jewish community was reestablished, numbering 107 in 1946 and 158 in 1970.