Oldenzaal
Jews lived in Oldenzaal for a short time during medieval times.
Modern settlement of Jews in Oldenzaal dates to the middle of the
seventeenth century and the arrival of a single Jewish family, soon
followed by others. At mid-century, the Jews of Oldenzaal prayed
together in a private home. A synagogue existed in Oldenzaal from
1765 on; its location, however, is no longer known.
The Oldenzaal community appears to have plagued by internal
conflicts. In 1775, five local Jewish families turned to the
municipal authorities of Oldenzaal to mediate a dispute. A division
in the community in 1800 led to a decision to found a second
synagogue. The new house of worship was consecrated in 1802; it was
located in the Weestrik, later known as the Kerksteegje. The
community was reunited soon after.
During the nineteenth century, the size of the
Oldenzaal community made it an influential force within Jewish life
in the surrounding region. A torah study fellowship based in
Oldenzaal advanced the study of Jewish law locally and regionally.
Other voluntary organizations within Jewish Oldenzaal included
separate burial societies for men and women. The community also
maintained a fund for the support of the needy. By 1879, the
synagogue in the Kerksteegje was in danger of collapse and thus was
razed and replaced with a new synagogue, located in the
Kerkstraat.
The oldest Jewish cemetery in Oldenzaal in modern times dated to
sometime prior to 1785; its exact location is no longer known. A
new cemetery - located between the present-day Carmelstraat,
Sparstraat, and Lyceumstraat - was established sometime around the
beginning of the nineteenth century.
Up to the late nineteenth century, most Jews in Oldenzaal worked in
the retail sector. At that time Oldenzaal's industrial development
benifited from Jews arriving from German border regions. The
Jewish community at Oldenzaal declined in size and influence during
the first four decades of the twentieth century. Nonetheless, it
played an important role as a way station in the absorption into
the Netherlands of Jewish refugees from abroad.
Most of the Jews in Oldenzaal were deported and murdered under the
German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. A few
managed to live out the war in hiding. The synagogue was used as a
warehouse during the occupation but came through the war undamaged,
as did the community's torah scrolls and other ceremonial
objects.
The Jewish community at Oldenzaal was formally dissolved in 1948
and the location placed under the jurisdiction of the Jewish
community at Enschede. The synagogue was sold
and, in 1964, was razed to make way for the construction of a new
town hall. Prior to demolition, the interior of the synagogue was
removed and taken to the annex of the synagogue at Enschede. The
Jewish cemetery at Oldenzaal is now maintained by the local
authorities. A plaque in the town hall commemorates local Jews
murdered during the Second World War.
Losser
The Jews of the nearby village of Losser were part of the Oldenzaal
community. Jews settled in Losser at the beginning of the
eighteenth century. The Jewish cemetery in Losser was located on
the Sportlaan; it was cleared away in 1954 and its graves and
gravestones moved to the Jewish cemetery at Enschede.
Jewish population of Oldenzaal and surroundings:
| 1748 | 33 |
| 1776 | 47 |
| 1795 | 54 |
| 1809 | 111 |
| 1840 | 129 |
| 1869 | 221 |
| 1899 | 256 |
| 1930 | 122 |
Collectie en mediatheek
Orde van dienst
1880-10-01
Orde van dienst bij de inwijding van de nieuwe synagoge
van Oldenzaal op 1 oktober 1880.
Collectie > Documenten > 00009837
meer treffers in Collectie > Documenten
Sjnoderplank
1870 (ca.)
'Sjnoderen' betekent een gift beloven voor een goed doel. Degene, die tijdens de
synagogedienst een eervolle taak op zich neemt, verplicht zich tegelijkertijd een ...
Collectie > Museumstukken > 00756
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Foto
1870 (ca.)
Portret van Isaac Krukziener, 'rebbe Itzig Oldenzel', rabbijn
te Oldenzaal van 1836 tot 1874, circa 1870.
Collectie > Fotos > 40007483
meer treffers in Collectie > Fotos
[Binnenland] : Amsterdam
Vermelding van benoemingen met betrekking tot de Ned. Isr. schoolbesturen.
Collectie > Joodse pers > 20031385
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Het Pinkas of schrijfboek der joodsche gemeente Oldenzaal
1960
Het Pinkas of schrijfboek der joodsche gemeente Oldenzaal.
Collectie > Literatuur > 11000540
