It is not known exactly when Jews began to settle in Nová Bystřice. An unspecified number of Jewish settlements have been documented in the town since the second half of the 18th century, but it rose sharply after the mid-19th century. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, there was only one Jewish family living in town. In 1849, there were 3 Jewish families (together 20 people), a total of 98 Jews (3.4% of all inhabitants) in 1880, 122 Jews (4.8% of the population, which was the maximum) in 1900, and in 1930 there were only 42 Jews (2.0%). Originally, the Nová Bystřice Jews had only a simple prayer room that was located in the “Jewish house”.
The synagogue was located on the upper floor of the Jewish community house No. 372 on T.G. Masaryk Street, east of the square. It was built in 1875-1878 just south of the castle-church grounds. It was used for worship until 1938, after which it was converted into an apartment. From 1949, it was used for worship services of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. From 1976, the former synagogue was town property and was used as a youth club. After 1990, the building’s new owner radically modernized it for commercial use and had the semi-circular vaulted synagogue windows and other such elements removed. It is presently abandoned.
The Jewish cemetery was founded in 1878 near the village of Ovčárna, a kilometer north of the town. The cemetery was used for burials until the late 1930’s. During the Second World War, the cemetery was destroyed by the Nazis. The devastation continued even after the Second World War; the ceremonial hall with the gravedigger’s dwelling was demolished, all the tombstones were knocked over, and the cemetery became grown over with impenetrable undergrowth. After 1990, it was repaired at the expense of the owner, the Jewish community in Prague. All the tombstones were re-erected, the perimeter wall was repaired, and the vegetation in the cemetery is now regularly maintained. A total of 85 tombstones have survived here, the oldest from 1879 and the youngest from 1934. The cemetery is freely accessible.
Interesting: In addition to the Jews from Nová Bystřice and the surroundings, there are also Jews from the Lower Austrian villages of Litschau, Heidenreichstein, and Schrems buried here; they did not have their own Jewish cemeteries.