Jevicko

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JEVICKO

JEVICKO (Czech Jevičko ; Ger. Gewitsch ), town in W. Moravia, Czech Republic. It is thought that the Jewish community was founded in the 14th century, but the first documentary mention dates from 1566. In 1657 there were 16 Jewish households in the town. A prayer room was opened in 1620, but a synagogue was not built until 1784. A fire in 1869, which destroyed the main part of the Jewish quarter, made many Jews leave the town. The Jevicko community was one of the political communities (see *politische Gemeinden). Between 1798 and 1848 there were 138 permitted families in Jevicko (see *Familiants Laws). The Jewish population fluctuated from 776 persons in 1830 to 989 in 1848, 462 in 1869, and 286 in 1890. On the territory of the political community there were 184 Jews and 33 Christians living in 1880 and 93 Jews and 75 Christians in 1900. In 1930 there were 86 Jews in Jevicko (3.1% of the total population). The community was deported to Nazi extermination camps in 1942 and the synagogue equipment sent to the Central Jewish Museum in Prague. The building is used by the Hussite church and the Czech Brethern Protestant church.

bibliography:

M. Tauber, in: H. Gold (ed.), Juden und Judengemeinden Maehrens in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart (1929); B. Bretholz, in: jggjČ, 2 (1930), 184–241. add. bibliography: J.Fiedler, Jewish Sights of Bohemia and Moravia (1991), 84–85.

[Meir Lamed]