The settlement of jews in Lomnice is to put on the time of 1710-1720. This statement made "Vlastiveda moravska II.-I. 20., S.325". There is written that the jews came from Lysice to Lomnice.
In an handwritung, which is written by Michael Zeisel, a man from Lomnice, and is named "Nachklänge aus verschollenen Zeiten oder Lomnitz in den Jahren 1813-1843. Angaben, die ich ganz treu, wie sie mein Gedächtnis mir erhalten, dem geehrten Leser wiedergebe." (Sounds of lost times, which I whole truly give back to the honored reader, how my memory has preserved.) is to be read about the foundation of the jewish community: "When also all signs confirm that at least Lomnice had been a settlement 150 years ago, nevertheless we had it to equalized with the verbal tradition, in which before these times this place never had been a jewish community in its real meaning. These qualities had been entitled to the neighbouring LYSICE. They had been entitled to LOMNICE after the owners of the land the Earl of Lysice and the Earl of Lomnice, both of them had made an agreement in its meaning and sense for eternal times."
After a legend both the landowner had been supposed to make a change. The Earl of Lysice gave to the Earl of Lomnice two jews for a "Rüde, das sind 2 Paar" (that means: two pairs) of dogs. These two jewish families had been the first jewish settlers in Lomnice.
The "Lahnenregister (Sign.269 des L.A.Brünn)" - that means the register of vassels in Brno - shows:
SEE Page 1, left site
From this time Lomnice got the historical importance against the place of Lysice and nobody thought of Lysice as a jewish community.
At this time Lomnice counted at least 79 families.........Been asked the head of the jewish community told to the authority of the country, that in Lomnice there were living 56 families at this time, what the authority knowledged and for the further time,too, only 56 families allowed. This number agrees with the edition by Scari (Systematische Darstellung, usw.),who for the year of 1798 the number of systematized Families with 56 registered: these are 606 souls and 5 tolerated.
A later improvement of the community, that there not only 56 bat 79 jewish families existed, had been without success. It remained the permission only for 56, the other 23 surplus.
It is known, that a jew only had been allowed to found a household (to marry), if he got a
family place. Zeisel writes about it: "If at the allocation of a finished family place there
is no other suitable applicant than a descendant of a surplus, what very seldom happened,
such a surplus got in the row and rights of a legal owner of a family place for himself and
his descendants as a legal inheritance." A lot of unmarried people, in their native community
not being able to get a family place, acquired in Czech or in Hungaria the right to marry;
some lived without marrying. Therefore there had been in the communities:
Very interesting information we get of the following file of the former "Statthaltereiarchivs
des Landesarchivs in Brünn" (Sign.J182). This document shows us the grieves of the small
communities. The file begins with the words:
"Mit weinenden Augen und gebogenem Herzen fallen wür arme L.F.G. zu Eines Hochlöbl. K.K.
Landes Gubernii gnädigsten Füssen."
This sentence is not possible to translate in his real sense. I will try to come near it:
"With crying eyes and turning heard we fall down to the honored feet of our Highly praised
head of the country."
One of the jewish houses, which being only a few and built of wood, for very long times serving as a hospital, where ill travellers were nursed and also serving for a rituell bath for the women, had been in such way dilapidated and rotten that it was a danger for the live of people. Therefore the community thought to have to built a new one or at least to renovate it. But being the bath too small, they wanted to make it bigger for a Klafter at the same time. The necessary land they liked to buy from a catholic neighbor, who was willing to sell it. Therefor the jews asked for the permission for the construction and for the buying; but this had not been permitted to them. They wanted to avert the danger for live and so they supported the house with stones, the rotten walls with small plugs (schmale Druppel), the chimneys were repaired with burned bricks "as in their building".
Because of this the jews had been reported by the Rentmeister Franz Jordansky, and the hospital had been closed on the 5th of August. Farther it is said: "It is sure we are innocent, we do not have repaired anything, what not have been necessary. We have with truth showed our reasons to the authorities, and asked for the opening of the hospital. Because of the mosaic law and jewish ritualls
we cannot do without the spring-bath for our women, which is in this house, not only one day. So long as this spring-bath is closed, our women are forced to travel in greatest danger two miles of way to another community besides of expensis. With consciousness of their right they askes for an anbiassed examination and announced they had to run away, if the bath would not be opened. On August, 23th the Mastery allowed the examination, but the jews had to pay the expensis and the rentmeister had to be there to protect the rights of the Mastery, and all of them also were showed that he is ready to give with pleasure to the jews "Entlassungsbriefe" (That means, they would have the right to go away without punishment). The jews asked therefor at the Gubernium to beginn with the examination at the cost of the underlaying part, because they had with the "innwendigeReparationdurchaus nichts wider die Schnur gegriefen" - with the repair of the inside they did nothing forbidden, because for the community it was not able to stay without this bath, and they should be protected, because in the year 1765 the Kontributions-Hauptreparation corresponding to the added Konsignation had been made higher from 343 fl.37 1/4 paid till today to 700 fl. (therefor higher for 356 fl.22 3/4), and actually Jordansky had been guilty for all this, the bath "not obligatory" to open, and they also engaged themselves, if they should found guilty against their expecting the repair to annul and to be punished "nach gnädigstem Willen"- after most gracious will.
This document has the following underwritings:
At August 29th, 1766 the petition had been given to the Kreishauptmann of Brno (district authority) who had to cause the opening of the bath. He announced on July 20th, 1767 to the Gubernium, that in the meantime because of his letter the authorities had given the bath free. The Hauptmann being absent the examination had been made by his substitute Freiherr Josef von Beer, who showed the protokoll to his superior on June 5th, 1767. On May 25th and May 26th had been the diskussion in Lomnice. There had been present: The Oberamtmann Johann Prochaska and the "of the Authorities for special substitute named Rentmeister"; for the jews the Landessollizitator Singer,the jurors Abraham Marcus, Bernard Marcus, Marcus Abraham and of the comittee Marcus Seydl, Abraham Marcus and Isaac Sziasny. The substitutes of the Majesty explained, that it had been forbidden for the jews to built the bath-house of good material and to make it bigger, because the most highly "Generation" had ordered it in this way; the Mastery had closed this house not only because the community "nicht nur inwendig mit gutten materialien reparieret, und äusserlich erweiteret" had repaired it inside with good material, but also had made it on the outside bigger without to be able to turn out a Gubernialdekret.
The jews denied this agreement and affirmed to have make the bath bigger not only for a finger, but only because of the danger of a downfall they had repaired it "mit theils Zügln und Lehm" with some bricks and loam. And they had made higher the ground-wall for 2 shoes instead of 1 prop. To the objektion of Jordansky, that a jewish wooden house is not allowed to be built with other materials, the jewish deputy explained, that they had no knowledge of it; especially Singer opposed him saying: that it happens in all jewish communities in this way, and he himself had restored his house in Prossnice, which had been built of wood, by good material without any objection some years ago. As the commission asked Jordansky to show the Generalien or to describe them nearer, he was not able to do this, but he explained, that his Master had ordered him to appeal to the Generalien "und ein solches als den Haubt-gegenstand in Sachen der Lokal Comihsion vorzustellen". Singer proved himself as an able substitute and gave to protocoll the following three points of trouble:
The Rentmeister answered himself for all these complaints in this way, that the bare rent of the jews is 120 fl., but ist posted with 150 fl., such that the Mastery feels to be entitled to do so, because of the difference of 30 f. , for a "zu besserer Bewohnung adaptirten jüdischen Hauss" to a better living repaired house to demand a higher rent. On this the jews explained, that not until the acceleration of Jordansky such increases had been made. As far as the wine-rent concerned, the rentmeister explained, that the two privat tenants had made themselves their offer, and they had "zu ihren besseren Nutzen und auf eigenen antrieb deren Juden" die Zinsungen " ein höheres quantum dermahlen gebracht" - been guilty for the higher rent for their own advantage -.The paid rent or money for protecting had been for the jews moving to strange "Bestand"houses , from very old times 2, 3, 4 or 8 fl., with the reason, that the Mastery through the lost of a jew "in ordine consumptionis, an hier, and victualien-Verschleiss, etwas entgeht" does loose the rents paid by them, but the authorithies would never had been fallen onto to make higher these amounts, if the jews hade not made themselves this offer of rent.
Afterwards visited the Comission the Bath-house. Inside there had been found a small prespace, a small room, which served as a hospital, and a very small room the spring-bath. It had been recognized, that the repair had been necessairy at any rate, because the "Bollwerk" (walls) had been totally rotten and full of worm-holes. The comission, the servants of the Mastery, too, had to admit the house not being made bigger.
Out of this document we learn also, that the jews of Lomnice, Salomon and Jelinek, had made higher their houses by one floor and had walled up a room or respictively had made from a small room a better room and they had paid for it 1 fl. Or 3 fl.These houses had been visited, too. Moreover Calsany announced, that the mastery had pulled down his little housegarden and its fence, behind it he stored his wood, and the mastery did not allow him to built his "privet" outside of the house, for which in the house is no place. Jordansky confessed also the authorities had ordered to pull it down, and he told that the jews are only allowed to use so much place outside their houses "as far as namely a roofdrop falls". Czisany had made arbitrary the little garden, he could not show a license related to it. Because the house of Czigany needs indispensable a place, that means to have a privet to keep the needed cleanliness and healthiness, Herr von Beer proposed, that the jews outside of the house shall built an WC " by what this passus had been removed".
Th dispatch of the Gubernium (Konzept) appealed to the protocoll of the commission, respectivily to the report of the Kreishauptmannschaft (authorities of the district) and applied to the order of the fire-brigade of 1751, in which a penaltry of 15 Reichsthaler is fixed for it, if one of the houses on the countryside is built of wood. The expandation of the bathhouse stayed forbidden, but it will be allowed for the jewish community to built it by bricks, loam or so on. In the same it was with the other jewish houses. Without permission of the Mastery was no recovery possible. The authorities had to look for it, that there were no new jewish settlers."Doch ist auch anderer Seite wohl fürzudenken, damit sothane obrigkeitl. Obsicht nicht etwa in unnötige Anstände und den jüdischen Contribuenten Bedrückende Beschwerlichkeit Aussarten möge" - But from the other sidethere is also to be thought, that the intention of the authorities will not degenerate in unnecessairy objection and for jewish people oppressing difficulties -. Concerning to the rent of the houses, the community were not able to show anything to their favour, and for the authorities is said "it is not possible to have the hand being closed for the way of fairness" in the way of approving they may not close their hand. However the way of complaying stayed open for the jewish community. The same it was with the rent on cosher vine and the money of the license for jews, who emigrated from Lomnice.
The synagoge was a modern built building of bricks built in the years 1780-1785; thanks to a later time its furnishing of the inside is made; thus the imposing holy chest is posed as a spontaneous contribution of the merchant R.Leib Skutetzki, who was highly esteemed by all people and inspired for the jewish live. It is kept alive till today. The iron, articial formed, heavy gilded staked building of the Almemors, an artificial work of the locksmith Raphael König of Myslice,and had been bought with the money of the community, and and with 2 staircases on the north side and the south side had been fixed in the middle of the synagoge. Some years ago through the radical changed form and the distribution of the sitting rows the desk got ist present position more to the east, and the 2 staircases were put on the westside. In the years 1830 till 1840 had been founded the men´s chorus and by the wish of just the most jewish people an organ had been bought. The organ was put in the very suitable women´s hall.
The German lessons the youth got by a teacher employed and paid by the Government, Sometimes he had been also a jew. For these lessons the parents had to pay only a very small amount. For the Hebraiic lessons the rich parents had to care for themselves; on the contrary for the orphans and the children of poor parents cared the jewish school manegement of the community and the Talmud-Toravereines (society for Talmud and Tora). Mite gifts brought also a not to scorned help. Out of the house teachers the youth were instructed in Bible and Talmud by teachers who had been subordinated by common schools. The hebraic grammar and knowledge of the newhebraic literatur had been taught to the least.
The Gemara Lessons laid in the hands of R.Josef Brodi Lewi and R. Mosche Fuchs-Senitz, whom also helped his son R.Jischok Fuchs. At the same time Baruch Schönfeld and R.Abraham Leib Kohn acquired considerable merits through their solid lessons in Hebraic in its full meaning.
But only for a short time the Hebraic lessons were given by Ignaz Schreiber, Jakob Taussig and Michael Zeisel. R. Stern taught the children mostly reading. At this time the higher sciences and higher arts had been of no great importance. The brothers Heinrich and Jakob Schreiber, the brothers Albert and Johann Handowski visited the Lyzeum (College) and promoved as surgeons; Aron Knedl, Meir Zeisel, Koppel Safir and Miss Chaje Sara Knedl made musical studies with eagerness.Who didn´t want to limit on primitive knowledge, had to look for private lessons and only in this way it was possible to find in Lomnice such men, as R.Abraham Skutetzki, R.Abraham Hofmann, R.Simcha Maier and Josef Fischer. During the period of office of the being in praiseworthy memory staying Rabbi Juda Schmidl bloomed in Lomnica a Jeschiwa visited by 16 pupils.
A main line of business for the jews in Lomnice had been the manufactory of woollen goods. The goods, which were manufactered there, were brought to the markets under name of "Lomnitzer Fabrikat" (made in Lomnice), where they had been greatly looked for.The washing of wool formed also a profitable business. Mostly tanner wool and furier wool, also handwashing wool and sweat wool were searched for, made without dust and sand, and cleaned from straw and small burdocks. In the wool being sweat had been removed on the warm way and than the wool had been washed carefully and dried.
Too, the black-tanning and white-tanning had been getting to swing. In opposite to it the manufactoring of clapper-spaces were vanishing in a high grade. Also the furiery had been spread out.
The commerce, if not very blooming, but was carefully looked after and ran.
The commerce with wool and in this district manufactered woollen clothes from it was cared for with love and brisk carried on. Only twice the year at the wool shearing some jews were occupied with buying the wool direct of the owner of sheeps. The whole year they found subcustomer under the there living in a big number of wool-traders. Commerce with textil and linen, especially the rude kinds enjoyed great attention. Succesfull occupation had been for a lot the commerce with all kinds of raw leather and fleeces.