Schweidnitz, Germany

SCHWEIDNITZ (Polish Swidnica) Lower Silesia, Germany, today Poland. Jews were present no later than 1285 and had the use of a cemetery. In 1372, a Street of the Jews and synagogue were in existence. The Jews were accused of “desecration” in 1453 and a few were burned at the stake; the rest were expelled from the city. The community was only reestablished in the 19th century, numbering 174 in 1849 and attaining a peak population of 339 in 1880. A new synagogue was consecrated in 1877. The Jewish population declined in the 20th century, standing at 100 on the eve of the Nazi era. On Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938), rioters burned the synagogue and destroyed six Jewish homes and many Jewish stores as well as a Jewish-owned factory. The Jewish population was 49 in 1938, dropping to 23 in 1939. No further information is available on the fate of the community in WWII. Presumably those Jews unable to emigrate perished following deportation.