Oster

The first Jews settled in Oster in the second half of the 18th century. At the end of the 19th century, about thirty percent of the town's population was Jewish. Most local Jews were either traders or artisans. In 1913, they owned a pharmacy, the only hotel in town, the only inn, and more than fifty shops and stores (including eleven shops selling manufactured goods, all six specialty stores, and all nine local grain suppliers). In August 1919, General Denikin's White Army staged a pogrom in the town, and Jewish property was looted. In 1923, the town's spiritual leader, Rabbi Girzel, was arrested by the Soviet authorities on charges of spreading anti-Soviet propaganda. Between the October Revolution and World War II, many of the Jews of Oster moved to larger towns and cities. In 1939, Oster was home to 841 Jews, who made up 13.3 percent of the total population. Oster was occupied by German troops on September 9, 1941. Many of its Jews had been able to leave before the onset of the occupation. All of the town's remaining Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Oster was liberated by the Red Army on September 9 (or 22), 1943.