Also see Olomouc for early history. [February 2009]
"The Jewish community of Olomouc is responsible both for the preservation of its cemeteries and the reconstruction of the synagogue in Usov (1784), where a discovery was made of the foundations of the central octagonal bimah and wall inscriptions." An exhibition devoted to the history of the local Jewish community and burial customs was installed in 1997. [February 2009]
"Jewish Asyva" (Aussee) was a Jewish community in the 17th century. In 1688 the dean of Müglitz ordered erection of a synagogue at Aussee that was destroyed in 1722 as follows:: During Erev Yom Kippur services, a Catholic priest entered the synagogue and began to preach a missionary sermon to the people assembled for worship. The officers of the congregation asked him to leave, but he persistently refused to do so. They were compelled to eject him. When the Jews brought charges against the priest for disturbing of the peace, he claimed that they had assaulted him. After a protracted lawsuit a decision was rendered that the synagogue be destroyed and no other be built. Of those charged with assaultby the priest, three men were branded with a hot iron and exiled. The fourth, a man of 74 years, was sentenced to work on construction of the Catholic church being built. 32 years elapsed before permission was granted to establish three places of worship with none allowed to bear the name or to have the appearance of a synagogue. Only in 1783 was permission given to build a regular synagogue whose rabbi then wasAbraham Prostiz. Under a March 21, 1890 law, the community of Aussee and neighboring communities joined togethe with Mährisch-Schönberg [Sumperk] as the seat of the Jewish communal district. The former synagogue is there. Wikipedia [February 2009]
Source [February 2009]
photo of cemetery [February 2009]
US Commission No. CZCE000195
Alternate name: Mahrisch-Ausee. [Yiddish: Asyva] Usov is located in Moravia-Sumperk at 49°47′51″N 17°0′29″E , 35 km NW from Olomouc. Cemetery: 0.3 km N, U synagogy-Str. Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Town: magistrate Otto Heinzal, Obecni urad, Namesti c.87, 789 73 Usov. tel. 0648/41222.
- Regional: Dr. Eduard Madera, Okresni Urad, Referat Kultury, ul E. Benese, 787 01 Sumperk; tel. 0649/3441.
- Interested: Okresni Vlastivedne Muzeum, Director Dr. Milos Melzer, sady 1, maje, 787 01 Sumperk; tel. 0649/4070.
- Caretaker with key: Edita Hublova, U synagogy 250, 789 73 Usov; tel. 0.
Earliest known Jewish community was 1564. 1930 Jewish population was 20 and 19 in 1938. Jewish quarter was destroyed 1643 in this selfstanding political community 1850-1919. Moritz Duschak, 1815--90, rabbi; Dr. Bernhard Templer, b.1865, rabbi; Aron Guggenheimer, 19th century rabbi; and Vlastimil Artur Polak, 1914-90, poet, lived here. The Jewish cemetery originated after 1643 with last known Conservative Jewish burial before 1942. No other towns or villages used this landmarked cemetery (Nr. 3187 N.M.) The isolated suburban hillside has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via a continuous masonry wall and locking gate. The pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is about 0.62 ha.
500-5000 stones, all in original location, date from 17th-20th century. The marble, granite and sandstone flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration or obelisks have Hebrew and German inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces, iron decorations or lettering and/or metal fences around graves. The cemetery has special section for old and new part but no special memorial monuments or known mass graves. Within the limits of the site is a pre-burial house with wall inscriptions. Olomouc Jewish community owns the Jewish cemetery. Adjacent properties are agricultural and residential. Occasionally, private visitors stop. Vandalism occurred 1945-1981. Individuals or groups of non-Jewish origin and Jewish groups within country did restoration in 1984-91. The regular caretaker is unpaid. Moderate threat: weather erosion. Slight threats: uncontrolled access, pollution, vegetation and vandalism.
Engineer arch. Jaroslav Klenovsky, Zebetinska 13, 623 00 Brno; tel. 0 completed survey on 1.3.1992. Documentation: Gold, Herman. Other exisiting documentation was not used. No site visits or interviews occurred.