The postcard below depicts the Brodsky Synagogue in Odessa, now in the Ukraine. From the 1880's until the 1920's, the Jewish community of Odessa was the second largest in Russia (after Warsaw which was then within Czarist Russia). At the start of World War II, there were about 180,000 Jews in Odessa (about 30% of total population.). After the German invasion, many Jews fled the city, and at the time of the Axis occupation, there were about 80,000 Jews left. Most of these Jews were either killed or deported to various camps. After the war, Odessa became one of the largest Jewish centers in the Soviet Union. In 1959, it was estimated that 180,000 Jews lived in Odessa (about 155 of the population). Substantial Jewish emigration has taken place from Odessa. The 1989 census recorded 69,100 Jews in Odessa.
Encyclopedia Judaica, 12:1319-27
Copyright © 2005 Edward Victor