Oels, Germany

OELS (Polish Olesnica) Lower Silesia, Germany, today Poland. Jewish settlement commenced no later than 1329. In 1535, the Jews were expelled and the synagogue was converted into an armory. The community was reestablished only in the 18th century. Its population in 1758 was 24. A synagogue was consecrated in 1817 and a cemetery was opened around the same time. In 1845, the Jewish population was 121, increasing to 335 in 1885. From the early 20th century, Oels became the seat of the regional rabbinate and numerous organizations were active within the community, such as the Cetnral Union (C.V.) and the Jewish Youth League. The Jewish population nonetheless declined in this period, standing at 118 in 1925 and 114 in 1933. On Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938), the synagogue and a number of Jewish homes were set on fire and five Jewish stores were destroyed. Seventeen Jews remained in 1939 and only four Jews, married to non-Jews, in November 1942. No further information is available about the fate of the community under the Nazis. Presumably those who did not leave on time were deported and died.