In the 1862 census, for the whole Prestice district there were 751 Jews. The Jewish community received recognition by the authorities in 1890. At this time the Jews gradually were leaving the villages and small towns, with the majority of them moving to Plzen and Prestice. In 1900 there were 431 Jews in that area, and by 1930 their number had decreased to 300.
The Prestice community developed at the beginning of the 20th century, after the Jews from the neighbourhood had settled in the town. The cemetery was consecrated and, in 1910, the synagogue was built. The Prestice community was the center of Jewish life for seven smaller communities. The rabbinate and the Jewish school in Prestice served the whole area. The school, which also had gentile pupils, was taught in the German language. After several years, the school closed and the pupils moved to the public school.
In 1921, 185 Jews lived in the united community. Josef Hartman was the head of the community and Leopold Singer served as rabbi. The economic condition of the Jews was strong, as they actively participated in the development of commerce and industry in the town. Many Jews earned their living in textile commerce.
In the nearby villages, the Jews were farmers, and some traded in cattle. Only a few Jews had an academic education.
In 1930, 99 Jews lived in Prestice proper, with 126 living in the surrounding region.
As a result of the Munich agreement in September 1938, the Czechoslovak Republic was liquidated. In March, 1939 Czechia (Bohemia and Moravia) was proclamed as a Protektorate of the Third Reich. The Jews were gradually pushed out of the public and economic life. Their businesses were confiscated and their rights were denied.
The concentration of the Czech Jews in the ghetto of Terezin began in November, 1941. From there they were deported to extermination camps. Before the deportation of the Jewish community from Prestice to Terezin, 152 documents and 212 religious items of the community were transferred to the Central Jewish Museum in Prague.
After the war, the Jewish community was renewed neither in Prestice nor in the surrounding region.