Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany

A Jewish community existed from the second half of the 13th century, but came to an end in the two expulsions of the Jews of Brandenburg in 1510 and 1573. In 1671, when exiles from Vienna were accepted in the town, a new Jewish community developed. It numbered 43 self-employed persons in 1688. In 1678, for the first time in Germany, two Jewish students were accepted at the local university. The local Jews, as well as Polish Jews, played an important role in the local fairs. A Hebrew printing press was founded towards the end of the 17th cent. In 1697-99 it published the first printed edition of the Talmud in Germany. From 300 Jews at the beginning of the 19th century, the Jewish population stood at 890 in 1880. The community established a school in 1819; a new synagogue in 1823; a hospital in 1838, and several voluntary associations, including the first society for the colonization of Eretz Israel in 1861. In the first half of the 19th century, the community became Liberal. Samuel Holdheim, later founder of the Reform community of Berlin, served as its rabbi (1836-40). This led Orthodox members to establish a separate community. In 1932, the Jewish population was 669, dropping to 586 in 1933 after the Nazis came to power. In 1934, the Orthodox community merged with the Liberal community. Many of the community's youth were members of the Zionist Werkleute movement. Boycott measures intensified in summer 1935, and in December, Rabbi Maybaum was arrested and imprisoned for a month. On Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938), the synagogue was set on fire, Jewish businesses were wrecked and looted, and several Jewish men were arrested and deported to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. By May 1939, there were 184 Jews and 122 persons of partial Jewish origin (Mischlinge) in Frankfurt. The remaining Jews were deported in the following years. By October 1942, them were only 25 Jews in Frankfurt, probably protected by marriage to non-Jews. After the war a new community was established. It numbered 200 members in 1958 but since then the Jewish population has been dropping steadily.