Reichenbach, Germany

REICHENBACH (Polish Dzierzoniow) Lower Silesia, Germany, today Poland. Jews settled no later than 1367 but were expelled in 1453-54. The community was reestablished only in the 19th century, numbering 59 in 1840 and maintaining a synagogue and a cemetery (from 1826). A new synagogue was erected in 1875 and the community reached a peak population of 155 in 1880. Its population began to decline late in the century, dropping to 52 in 1930. On Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938), the synagogue, three Jewish stores, and four Jewish homes were destroyed. In 1939, 19 Jews remained and in November 1942 two Jews with non-Jewish spouses. Toward the end of the year, one Jew was sent to the nearby Tormersdorf camp. No further information is available as to the fate of the community under Nazi rule. Presumably those Jews who did not emigrate perished following deportation.