TRZCIANKA

TRZCIANKA (Ger. Schoenlanke), town in Poznan province, Poland. Jews were present in Schoenlanke from the first quarter of the 18th century; documentary evidence for the presence of a Jewish community dates from 1739 when the Jews of Schoenlanke were granted a privilege that secured for them certain trading and commercial rights. The privilege remained in force until 1756 when the town passed into the hands of Anton von Lasocki. It was then renewed, but at great cost and with highly restrictive conditions. After Poznan passed to Prussia (1772) the community (286 persons) successfully appealed the restrictions and their rights were reaffirmed. The synagogue burned down in 1779; a permanent one was built only in 1883. A bet midrash was functioning in 1772; in 1869 a new one was built but closed down in 1897 for lack of students. In 1790 there were 75 families in 31 Jewish-owned houses. The community was served by Rabbi Joel Meyer Asch (d. 1811) as well as his son Judah (d. 1831). The Jews, mainly large-scale wool merchants, were economically dominant and constituted a high but decreasing percentage of the total population: 863 in 1830 (23%); 584 in 1880 (14%); 590 in 1905 (8.1%); and 380 in 1932 (4.3%). Before the war the community maintained a school, library, mikveh, cemetery, and synagogue; its last rabbi was Curt Peritz (1932–36). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: A. Heppner and J. Herzberg, Aus Vergangenheit und Gegenwart der Juden… in den Posener Landen (1909), 926–45; M.L. Bamberger, Geschichte der Juden in Schoenlanke (1912); FJW, 85; PK, Germanyah.