Jews are first mentioned in Chemnitz (formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt) in 1308. In the 1860s a few individual Jews lived in Chemnitz; by 1871 there were 101. In 1890, 955 Jews lived in Chemnitz; the numbers were 1,137 in 1905, 2,796 (0.84 of the total population) in 1925, and 2,387 (0.68) in June 1933. Nazi excesses began early in 1933. In September 1935 Jewish children were no longer allowed to attend public schools; as a result a Jewish school was set up. On Kristallnacht, the synagogue was burned down. Presumably from the end of 1941, all those unable to emigrate were deported to the East; no records on emigration and deportation are available.
The two postcards below depict the synagogue in Chemnitz which was consecrated in 1899. The first postcard bears a postmark dated June 10, 1901.
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Copyright © 1998-99 Edward Victor
