History of the Jews in Ústí nad Labem

Holocaust memorial built in 2005.

The history of the Jews in Ústí nad Labem in the Czech Republic dates back to 1848. The greatest expansion achieved owing to presence of two significant families (Weinman and Petschek), who contributed to city development, at the end of 19th and at the beginning of 20th century. Two following dictatorships had devastating effect on the community. In the summer and fall of 1938, most Jews left Usti for Prague and other localities. In November 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the few Jews that remained in Usti were sent to extermination camps [ Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 ].

Religious intolerance continued even after the war and that is other reason why many of the members of this community emigrated afterwards. Still, after the Soviet annexation of Carpatho-Rus, many Jews chose to move here. This population established a new Usti synagogue in 1948 with 800 members. As of the early 21st century, the congregation continued to exist.

There were changes in religious freedoms after 1989. Members of the community meet regularly during worships, especially during Jewish festivals. Still, life in the community is declining, particularly because of absence of young generation. There were 50 members of the community in 2000, of which 17 lived in Ústí nad Labem. There were 38 recorded members of the community in half of 2005. The contemporary chairman is Bedřich Heller.

Bibliography

• Fedorovič, T., Kaiser, V. History of Jewish community in Ústí nad Labem. 2005, 123 p. English translation: Jaroslav Izavčuk. ISBN 80-86646-12-2
• Spector, Shmuel; Wigoder, Geoffrey (2001). The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust: Seredina-Buda-Z. New York: NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-9356-5.