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Jewish Families from Březnice (Bresnitz), Bohemia, Czech Republic

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Profiles

  • Moises Weigl (deceased)
    Based on Birth record: 50 1839-1859 FÚ BŘEZNICE (o. Příbram) matrika oddaných (1840-1859); narozených (1839-1859); zemřelých (1839-1859); (21/37)
  • Katharina Weigel (c.1830 - d.)
    Marriage record: 50 1839-1859 FÚ BŘEZNICE (o. Příbram) matrika oddaných (1840-1859); narozených (1839-1859); zemřelých (1839-1859); (8/37)
  • Simon Weigel / Weigl (c.1829 - d.)
    Marriage record: 50 1839-1859 FÚ BŘEZNICE (o. Příbram) matrika oddaných (1840-1859); narozených (1839-1859); zemřelých (1839-1859); (8/37)
  • Eleonora Orlik (c.1833 - d.)
    Marriage record: 50 1839-1859 FÚ BŘEZNICE (o. Příbram) matrika oddaných (1840-1859); narozených (1839-1859); zemřelých (1839-1859); (8/37)
  • Rebekka Weigel / Weigel (1854 - d.)
    Birth record: 50 1839-1859 FÚ BŘEZNICE (o. Příbram) matrika oddaných (1840-1859); narozených (1839-1859); zemřelých (1839-1859); (18/37)

This project seeks to collect all of the Jewish families from the town of Březnice (Bresnitz) in Příbram District in Bohemia, Czech Republic.

From Wikipedia:

"Březnice (Czech pronunciation: [%CB%88br%CC%9D%C9%9Bz%C9%B2%C9%AAts%C9%9B]; German: Bresnitz) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 3,700 inhabitants. Villages Bor, Dobrá Voda, Martinice, Přední Poříčí and Zadní Poříčí are administrative parts of Březnice. Březnice is home to the Březnice Castle Brewery, which sells its beer under the Herold (beer) brand name".

JewishGen Family Finder database has 8 Researchers looking for connections to Surnames from Breznice. Surnames include Kohn, Popper, Steurer, Lederer, Simelis, Duschenes, Slansky, Lurie, Huppertova, and many others.

YadVashem database of Holocaust victims include about 70 people with a connection to Breznice. Names of victims include Angert, Bachrich, Bebcuk, Berkovitz, Bitterman and many others.

From the International Jewish Cemetery Project, accessed July 19, 2020: US Commission No. CZCE000319

"Breznice is located in Bohemia province at 49°33' N, 13°58' E', 43 miles SSW of Praha (Prague), 30 miles ESE of Plzeň (Pilsen), in the Příbram District.. Cemetery is 1200 meter NNW of square, near the brook called Vlcava. Present town population is 1,000-5,000; probably no Jews.

Local: Vladimir Poul, Mestsky Urad, 262 72 Breznice. Regional: Ms. Engineer Touzimska, Okresni Urad-Referat Kultury, Jiraskovy sady 240; 261 01 Pribram; tel. 0306/511; also: Zidovska Nabozenska Obec v Praze, Maislova 18 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/231-69-25; also: Pamatkovy ustav, Ceskomoravska 20-21, 190 00 Praha 9; tel. 02/853-57-46. Interested: Statni Zidovske Muzeum, Jachymova 3, 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/231-06-34 or 02/231-07-85; also: Mestske Muzeum, zamek, 262 72 Breznice; also: Okresni Muzeum, namesti H. Klicky 293, 261 02 Pribram; tel. 0306/4734 or 4746. Earliest known Jewish community was in the second half of the 16th century or the first half of the 17th century. There were 30 Jews. [sic] Founding of the ghetto was allegedly in 1562 or 1570. Archives of Jewish congregation burned in 1821. Peak Jewish population was in mid-19th century (190 people). Later, Jews moved to big towns. Well-known Prague trader and financier Joachim von Popper (d. 1795), one of the first Jews raised to nobility in the Hapsburg monarchy, lived here. The landmarked cemetery originated before 1617. Buried here include rabbis, regional (county) rabbis, and Wolf Popper, head of Bohemian Jewry. Last known Conservative Jewish burial was before 1943. The rural, flat isolated site has a masonry wall with only one gap and non-locking gate. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. Original and current size of the cemetery is 0.2384 ha.

Approximate the number of gravestones in cemetery, is 100-500. Number of stone in original location, regardless of condition is 100-500. Less than 25% toppled or broken, Modern tombstones stolen. The cemetery is not divided into sections. Oldest known tombstone is late 17th century. Stones date from 17th-20th centuries. The marble, granite and sandstone flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration or multi-stone monuments have Hebrew, German and Czech inscriptions. Some have metal fences around graves. There are no known mass graves. Praha Jewish community owns the Jewish cemetery. Properties adjacent are agricultural. Frequently, organized Jewish group tours or pilgrimages, organized individual tours and private visitors stop. It was vandalized between World War II and the last 10 years and occasionally in the last 10 years, including modern tombstones and ceremony hall. Local non-Jewish residents and local/municipal authorities cleared vegetation periodically. There is no care. Within the limits of the cemetery is a pre-burial house. Very serious threat: security and vandalism, due to free access. Slight threat: weather erosion, pollution and vegetation. Vegetation overgrowth is a seasonal threat, preventing access.

Engineer Mojmir Maly, Ve Stresovickach 58, 169 00 Praha 6; tel. 02/35-57-69 and Jiri Fiedler, z"l, Brdickova 1916, 15500 Praha 5 tel. 02/55-33-40 completed survey on Aug. 29, 1992. Documentation: censuses of 1570, 1618, 1849 and 1930; Die Juden und Judengemeinden Boehmens (1934) (The Jews & Jewish Communities of Bohemia), Jahrbuch fuer die israelische Cultusgemeinden Boehmens (1893-4); Jan Herman: Jewish Cemeteries... (1980). Engineer M. Maly (see above) visited site in 1992."

Census and School and Town records may be available for Breznice at this site: https://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/introduction Note that many Jewish communities were unable to keep their own records. Instead, the local Catholic or other religious organizations in the towns recorded births, deaths and marriages for the Jewish population.

This Geni Project has a number of helpful links to more data sources. Try https://www.geni.com/projects/Jewish-Communities-in-Bohemia-and-Moravia-Czech-Republic/12452