Neisse, Germany

Neisse (Polish Nysa), Upper Silesia, Germany, today Poland. Jews arrived in the first half of the 14th century. They had a cemetery in 1350 and a synagogue in 1410. During the Black Death persecutions of 1348-49, one Jew burned his house with all his family in it to avoid baptism. The Jews were expelled in 1468, and Jewish settlement was only renewed in the early 19th century. The community grew rapidly to 278 in 1840 and a peak of 464 in 1861. Subsequently the Jewish population declined through emigration to the big cities, especially Breslau. Branches of the Central Union (C.V.), Jewish Veterans Association, and Zionist youth movements were active in the 1920s. After the Nazi rise to power, Zionist and educational activity expanded and Hebrew classes were organized. On Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938), the synagogue, the community building, a warehouse, a pharmacy, a dental clinic, 11 stores and 31 homes belonging to Jews were destroyed. In the aftermath, out of 220 Jews in 1933, 93 remained. Deportations to General Gouvernement territory commenced in July 1942.