Luckenwalde

General information: First Jewish presence: 13th century; peak Jewish population: 128 in 1895; Jewish population in 1933: 113
Summary: Jews probably lived in the area around Luckenwalde in 1243, as records from that year mention a case of alleged Host desecration. After an absence, Jews returned to the town in 1735 (under the protection of King Frederick William I), but were expelled in 1754. In 1870, the Luckenwalde Jewish community established a statute. Local Jews conducted services in private residences until 1897, when they inaugurated a synagogue on Carlstrasse (present-day 36 Puschkinstrasse). We also know that the cemetery on Gruener Weg was established in 1814, the mortuary in 1914. Many members of this Liberal community were merchants, factory owners, physicians and lawyers. In Luckenwalde, a teacher instructed Jewish children in religion. In October 1938, the town’s Polish Jews were deported. One month later, on Pogrom Night, the synagogue was demolished; Jewish shops were vandalized, and Jewish men were sent to Sachsenhausen. The cemetery was destroyed in 1943. At least 28 Luckenwalde Jews perished in the Shoah. A commemorative plaque was later unveiled at the former synagogue site. The Luckenwalde municipality renovated the cemetery, now a memorial garden, in 2006.
Author / Sources: Beate Grosz-Wenker
Sources: AJ, CSLV, EJL, LJG, SIA
Located in: brandenburg