The earliest records available indicate that there were at least 7 Jews living in Usov already in 1564 and a document of that year gives the names of three of them: David, Jakub and Markus. Although small in number, they were apparently important enough to the economy to cause Maximillian II to change the day of the town’s weekly market from Saturday to Wednesday in 1571.
A document from 1600 shows that out of 60 houses in the town, Jews inhabited 9. By 1609, the community had grown sufficiently to warrant its first resident Rabbi. However, in 1643, military actions carried out by the Swedish army caused the death of many Jews living there as well as the destruction of many of the 19 houses they by then occupied. Under the protection of the Prince of Lichtensetin, the last quarter of the 17th century was a period of peace for the Jews living in Usov and the Jewish population grew from only around 10 Jewish families in 1657 to 110 families by the early 1700s.
The year of 1721 was, alas, a fateful year for the Jews of Usov. On September 30 of that year, a priest, named Samuel Gelinek from Dubitzko, came into the synagogue during services on the eve of Yom Kippur. He caused a big commotion and when some of the congregants tried to calm him down, he hit them with a stick, fell down, and accused them of injuring him. A lengthy legal battle followed with the result that in 1722 an order was handed down requiring the demolition of the synagogue and the punishment of 4 Jews (although the Jews were permitted to hold some services in private houses). Anti-Semitic attacks by the clergy continued however and tension remained high -- exploding in 1737, when the Jews wanted to have a procession to inaugurate a new Torah scroll. The clergy felt offended by what they saw as an imitation of Catholic processions and demanded a prohibition of Jewish prayers even in private houses. But, the officials eventually supported the right of Jews to have such services.
Ten years later, in 1747, another conflict erupted. When the treasurer of the Jewish community was accused of theft and city officials went to arrest him, they discovered approximately 30 Jews participating in a prayer services, which was much greater than the 10 allowed. A priest by the name of Prunner levied a new complaint against the Jewish community and it was not until 1751 when officials finally determined that the Jews could not be prohibited from praying together. Although Prunner continued his attempts to have prayer services prohibited, he was unsuccessful and the following years witnessed a growth of the Jewish population and their economic contributions in the town. In 1753, the Jews were allowed to set aside a 3-room place for prayer and finally, in 1780, permission was granted to erect a synagogue on the same site where the demolished one had stood.
Prior to 1890, Usov had existed as an independent congregation. But due to declining population, it was joined with the nearby town of Schonberg/Sumperk in that year. Until WWII, it was the seat of the Jewish religious congregation for the whole district (which included, in addition, the Jewish communities in Romerstadt/Rymarov, Neustadt/Unicov, Sumvald, Johnsdorf/Janusov, Hohenstadt/Zabreh, and Hannsdorf/Hanusovice).
The highest Jewish population in Usov was probably 656 in 1830 but this number dropped to 150 in 1890, 101 in 1900 and to 20 in 1930. As far as is known, only one man survived the Nazi occupation.
Usov’s Jewish quarter, established in 1589, was located on a hill, in what was then the NW part of the town. Over the years, the number of houses there grew: 9 in 1600, 19 in 1667, 28 in 1753, 45 two story houses by the middle of the 1800s. Many of these houses have been preserved.