Schlochau
General information: First Jewish population: 1748 (17 Jewish families); peak Jewish population: 495 in 1880; Jewish population in 1933: 125
Summary: In 1466, when West Prussia became part of Poland, many
Jewish families moved into villages surrounding the town of
Schlochau (present-day Czluchow, Poland), the only town
that allowed Jews inside its walls. As a result, the Jewish
community of Schlochau was the oldest in the region.
Schlochau was reincorporated into West Prussia in the 18th
century.
In the late 1880s, at which point nearly 500 Jews lived in
Schlochau, the community inaugurated a new synagogue,
replacing a 16th-century structure.
Anti-Jewish violence and discrimination were common
in Schlochau during the early 20th century: the synagogue
was desecrated, and Jewish-owned businesses were
boycotted. By 1938, Schlochau was home to very few
Jewish-owned businesses. The synagogue, however, was
torched on Pogrom Night, and Jewish men were sent
to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. In the spring
of 1940, the town’s few remaining Jews were interned
in Schneidemuehl, from where they were subsequently
deported. Most were murdered.
Author / Sources: Fred Gottlieb
Sources: EJL, LJG
Sources: EJL, LJG
Located in: posen-west-prussia