ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base
The Great Synagogue of Gura Humorului
--CONTROL ----
The Great Synagogue of Gura Humorului is a Jewish place in the city of Gura Humorului, located on 25 St. Gavriil Street in the center of the city. It was built in 1871.
The Jewish community of Gura Humorului
Situation of Jews under the Austrian regime
By the early 18th century, there were no Jews at Gura Humor. The first Jews settled here around 1835 with other ethnic groups (such as the German emigrants from Bohemia). They were trade craftsmen and merchants, working as suppliers of the Austrian occupation army. At that time, Gura Humorului was a small town with 200 wooden houses and a population of around 700, including 5 Jewish families.
In the second half of the 18th century, the Jewish community of Gura Humor grew steadily. In 1856, a Jewish cemetery was organized, which was closed in 1919, when a new one opened nearby. The first census of 1857 included 190 Jews from a total population of 2,703 people, representing 7.02%. In 1869, the number of Jews had increased to 800 (31.50%), in 1880 to 963 (32.54%), in 1890 to 1.206 (34.43%) to 2,050 (38.53%) in 1910.
As the town's role grew (Gura Humorului received the status of fair in 1867, district residence in 1893 and city in 1904), the Jewish community of Gura Humorului began to develop. In 1880 a Jewish cultural council opened at Gura Humorului. He was led by the great industrialist Wolf Kleinberg until 1888, when he moved to Cernăuți. The next presidents of the council were Itzik Leib Schattner (1888- 1903), Markus Markowicz (1903- 1904), Saul Ellenbogen (1904), Abraham Fischler (1905- 1908), pharmacist Alexander Loebel (1908- 1914), Gerenten (1918- 1921), Dr. Jonas Gartenlaub (1921- 1926), Chaim Rachmuth, Anschel Steinhorn, Rafael Mueck and Feiwel Laufer.
The fire of May 11, 1899 destroyed more than 400 houses, including many Jewish houses and shops. Jewish houses were rebuilt with the support of the Jews in America. In 1906, Dr. Scheuermann founded the first Zionist organization to be run until 1913 by Dr. Abraham Schaerf. By the Second World War, other organisations advocating the emigration of Jews in Palestine were established. In 1908 a public school was founded in the city, which had 91 students in the first year, of which 48 were Jews.
During the pre-war period, Jewish citizens were represented on the local council, and between 1908- 1910 Saul Schieber, the owner of a stationery store, was deputy mayor of the city.
The beginning of World War I (1914) also brought anti-Semitic actions. In November 1914, the family of Jewish merchant Erler was killed by German colonists in Bohemia. The occupation of Gura Humor by Russian troops had the effect of burning down 120 houses and