Delmenhorst, Germany

DELMENHORST, Oldenburg, Germany. Jews first settled there in 1695, during the period of Danish rule. In 1827, they numbered 34 (2% of the total). The community built a synagogue in 1838. As a new industrial center, Delmenhorst grew rapidly and the Jewish population increased to 118 (1875). By 1910, however, the 124 Jews living there mostly eked out a livelihood and constituted only 0.5% of the inhabitants. After WW1, the community had a Central Union (C.V.) branch and numbered 182 at its height in 1925. A large synagogue was built in 1928 only to be burnt down by the Nazis on Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938). About 105 Jews succeeded in emigrating, primarily to the U.S. (41), Latin America (24), and Palestine (11). At least 75 died in the Holocaust. A Jewish community established by emigrants from the former Soviet Union numbered around 160 in 2000.