Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Luxembourg grand duchy and capital city. Jews are first mentioned in 1279. In 1349, during the Black Death persecutions, local Jews were massa¬cred and the remainder expelled from the cities of Luxembourg and Echternach. Expelled again in 1391, Jews returned individually. In 1420, seven resided in Grevenmacher. By 1515, there were 15 Jews families in Luxembourg, Echternach and Arlon (today in Belgium). All the Jews were ex¬pelled in 1530, returning only in the Napoleonic era. In 1808, there were 75 Jews in Luxembourg. Between 1815 and 1830, Luxembourg was part of the Netherlands. Under Napoleon's auspices, a religious framework was established for the Jews in the grand duchy in accordance with the French model. The imperial decree of 1808 fixed the legal status of the Jews, who were attached to the consistory of Trier until a separate body was established in 1838. The first synagogue in Luxembourg was opened in 1823. The first chief rabbi, Samuel Hirsch, was appointed in 1843. In 1880, there were 87 Jewish families (369 individuals) in the city of Luxembourg and an additional 63 families in the province. A new synagogue was consecrated in 1894. Another one was erected in EschsurAlzette in 1899. In 1927, the Jewish population of the duchy was 1,171, increasing with the arrival of refugees from Germany. In 1935, there were 3,144 Jews in Luxembourg, but only 870 were citizens. Aside from the capital with its 2,069 Jews, there were 470 Jews in Esch; 187 in Diekirch; 78 in Echternach; 79 in Grevenmacher; and 99 in Renich. The immigrants enriched the social life of the community. In the capital, many of them en route to France or Belgium rented homes in a quarter called the New Jerusalem. By 1940, there were about 3,500 Jews in Luxembourg. With the German invasion of 10 May 1940, Luxembourg came under the jurisdiction of Gauleiter Gustav Simon. Most Jews left the country, heading for France, Belgium, Portugal, and Spain. As of 5 September 1940, the remaining Jews were denied their most basic rights: intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews was prohibited; Jews were excluded from the public service; Jewish children were expelled from public schools; 355 Jews owned businesses were handed over to Aryans" and 380 Jews owned farms were leased to new managers. The synagogues in Luxembourg and EschsurAlzette were destroyed and Jews were banned from cafes, restaurants, sports clubs, and public transportation facilities and forced to wear the yellow badge. At the same time, the Jews were subjected to forced labor. Between August 1940 and October 1941, nearly 1,450 Jews were expelled to the borders of Belgium, France, and Portugal. On 15 October 1941, the Germans appointed Alfred Oppenheimer chairman of the consistory, renamed the Council of Jewish Elders in April 1942. From August 1941, the 750 Jews left in Luxembourg were concentrated in a small ghetto in the Fuenfbrunnen camp. From there, starting on 16 October 1941, Jews were deported to the east in convoys. The first brought 331 Jews to the Lodz ghetto and on 17 June 1943 the last convey was directed to the Theresienstadt ghetto. Of the 729 Jews deported during the Holocaust, 690 perished. There were about ten Jews in Luxembourg when it was liberated on 10 September 1944. By 1947, the community consisted of 870 Jews, only 487 of them natives of the city. A new synagogue was consecrated in 1953. In 1978, the Jewish population of the city of Luxembourg was nearly 865, with another 110 Jews in Esch¬sur-Alzette; 12 in MondorflesBains; eight in Ettelbruck; and five in Diekirch.