THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
Historical Background
Until 1848, Jews were prohibited from residing in mining towns, which significantly limited their presence in Jáchymov. In 1499 they were also banned from royal towns, a measure opposed only by part of the nobility. Joachim Schlik tolerated Jews on his estates, and from that year their presence in Hroznětín is documented. In 1507 an order was issued for their complete expulsion from the land, against which the nobility openly protested.
After the restrictions were lifted in 1848, the local Jewish community survived only through its association with fifteen surrounding towns and settlements until the Munich Agreement and the subsequent annexation of the borderlands by Germany. The prayer house and cemetery were located in Hroznětín and also served the small community from Jáchymov. The synagogue was in Karlovy Vary.
Sources and Testimonies
Only a few references to Jewish residents of Jáchymov have survived. Information comes mainly from the work of Mgr. Oldřich Ježek, materials from the Jewish Museum in Prague and the Karlovy Vary Museum, and the memories of Mrs Věra Pollitzer.
The Samuel Family
Max Samuel, known locally as “Old Samuel,” had a dental practice at today’s Republic Square No. 12. He visited patients in all weather with a single-horse carriage. His son was also a physician, and his daughter-in-law was a dentist with a practice in Villa Ritter (today Dukelských hrdinů Avenue). It is possible that a prayer room was located there, though this is unconfirmed. The family left Jáchymov shortly before the annexation following the Munich Agreement in 1938. Their later fate is unknown.
The Pollitzer Family
Dr Emil Pollitzer ran a law practice at Republic Square No. 8. His daughter Věra was considered a modern young woman and reportedly attended catechism classes. The family left shortly after the arrival of the German army. Věra was rescued as one of the so-called Winton children and still lives in Kibbutz Maayan Zvi in Israel. Her parents last wrote to her from the Netherlands in 1940. On 2 October 1941, Dr Emil Pollitzer and his wife Helena were deported to the Łódź ghetto, where they were murdered.
Other Members of the Community
Mr Dominic, a merchant and tenant of the Seidl House (Haus Mignon), part of today’s Astoria, represented orthodox Jewish teaching. His daughters, however, were considered rather free-spirited; one allegedly shocked the public with red-painted fingernails. Their further fate is unknown.
Norbert Hermann owned a clothing shop at Republic Square No. 145 (Zeileisen House, Regent). Married to a Christian woman, he felt relatively secure even after the annexation. He kept detailed records of outstanding debts owed to him. Nevertheless, he was expelled from his home by the Nazis, his wife filed for divorce, and his debt records were confiscated by the German administration. The collected money enriched the NSDAP party treasury. His later fate remains unknown.
Chaim Fakler, a hotelier from Karlovy Vary, was connected with the town; Franz Rehn built the first Czech guesthouse in Jáchymov – Villa Dagmar – for him. However, Fakler did not reside there permanently.
Numbers and Conclusion
According to Dr Gustav Treixler, no more than six Jewish families ever lived in Jáchymov. Jewish spa guests were also few. In 1921, the entire Jáchymov district counted only 27 persons of Jewish faith: 21 in Jáchymov, 4 in Elbecken, and one each in Merklín and Vojkovice.
Witnesses later recalled chilling sentences: “Nothing is known about the later fate of Mr Hermann and his brother Josef,” “The Samuels left the town and were never heard from again,” “Whether any of our Jewish fellow citizens survived the Holocaust is unknown.”
What became of them after 1938 will likely never be fully known.
