[Pages 113-114]

The village of Dölitschen is situated 17.5 kilometers south of the county seat of Mies (Stribro), on the side of a valley in the romantic Seven Mountains. The village is first mentioned in documents of the year 1115. Duke Swatopluk created in 1108 the Benedictine monastery in Kladrau. In the year 1115, his heir Wladislaw donated 25 villages to the monastery. The nobility also contributed land in the area. One of the nobles, Branis, gave land to the village of Dölitschen.

Documents dated before 1100 mention a Jewish community in Dölitschen, one of the oldest inhabited areas along with the villages of Darmschlag (Darmysl) and Prostibor (Kopec).

Early in the 14^th Century near Dölitschen, an organization of knights built a fortress at Prostibor. The knights had arrived from Zwirschen in the valley of Radbusa. The leader of the knights was Habart von Prostibor (1333-1362). Abbot Raczko III exchanged the villages of Metzling and Wohnischen, belonging to Kladrau for the closer lying villages of Prostibor with the fortress Kopetzen and castles in Dölitschen and Darmschlag along with its holdings. After the Hussite Wars the monastery had to sell or pawn many properties. In 1526 Kopetzen, Darmschlag and Dölitschen became the property of Dobrohost von Ronsperg (1526-1537). Next in line was Tocnik von Krimitz and his offspring Christof, Wenzel, and Burghardt (1537-1624). The last sold the above properties to Johann Rudolf Wolfinger of Ploskowitz and Wolfsbach. He had been knighted for his contribution as mayor of the city of Pilsen during the Mannsfeld occupation of the city (1618-1621). His son Johann Christof (died 1672) followed. In 1696 his children Franz, Wenzel and Johann became owners of these properties. The last owner of this lineage was Anna Franciska Wolfinger von Ploskowitz and Wolfsbach.

Following her were: Schirndinger von Schirnding (1720-1737), Freiherr Locher von Lindenheim (1737-1754), Grafen von Oppersdorf (1755-1789), Wenzel Hora von Oezellowitz (1789-1799), Heinrich Freiherr von Grafenreuth (1799-1803), Johann Lorenz Wolf, Michael Wolf, Margareta Wolf and Georg Wolf (1803-1854).

In 1840, Darmschlag was sold to the Duke Karl Thomas Lowenstein in Haid and in 1854 he also bought Kopetzen. Dölitschen was sold to Wenzel Walter from Kosolup. His heir Ludwig Mosenbacher sold the property in 1911 to Richard Abeles, a tenant farmer from Bishofteinitz, Josef Popper, a tenant farmer from Hlas and Sigmund Bergler, merchant from Mies. After the split in 1919, Wenzel Schwab of Prostibor bought the remaining pieces.

Proof exists of Jewish families in Dölitschen early in the 18^th Century. In the census of Anna Franciska Wolfinger in 1716 are the following entries: Worms, Jakob, 70 years, with wife and three children living here three years, pays interest of 2 Guldens to government, deals in Gewirk (?). Israel, 28 ears old with wife and two kids have lived here three years. He pays 5 Guldens in taxes, deals in feathers and textiles (sheets).

In Josefinian catalog (listing) of 1787 are the following Jewish families noted: Israel Low, house #I, Jakob Maier, #III, David Salamon, #IV, Caium Low, #VI, Simon Salamon, #VII, Rubin Salamon, #VIII.

In addition, there were Jewish houses without mention of inhabitants at numbers 3,7,II, IX, and X. In the listing known as stable of the year 1837 is a census of the landowners in alphabetical order.

There are the following owners: Auer, Barbara, #VII; Bloch, Josef Lobl, #II; Beck, Simon, #Xb; Eckstein, Lobl Isack, #II; Groschl, Wolf, #VI; Habermann, Abraham, #XV; Lederer, Jakob, #I; Lederer, Isack, #X; Lederer, Salomon, #XIV, Raumann, Rosalia, #IX; Raumann, Salomon, #XII; Schwarz, Isack, #Iia; Spitz, Moses, #IV; Spitz, Salomon, #VIII; Sperber, Moses, XIII; Weil, Jeremias, # V; Weil, Bluml, #V.

The county taxing authority of Kopetzen compiled this listing on April 13, 1837.

In the church archive in Prostibor is a Matrik of the Jewish community for 1794-1840 compiled by the priests Wenzel Stohwasser and Johann Prohaska. There you find the following families listed: Markus Bloch, #I; Zacharias Ebstein, #VI; Simon Raumann, #VII; Israel Lederer, #VIII & X; Benjamin Sperber, #X; Abraham Klein, #III; Moses Schleub, #IV; Moses Spitz, #7; Lobl Wudl, #XI & XIII; Isaak Schwarz, # I & II; Moses Steiner, # 21; Salomon Raumann, #3 & III; Salomon Spitz, #VIII; Abraham Wail, #III & V; Israel Auer, #V & VII; Zacharias Steiner, #II< V, X, 5; Ezechiel Raumann, #40; Ezechiel Ebstein#XI; Simon Beck #X; Salomon Lederer, #XIV; Isaak Lobl, #III; David Kauderer, #VIII; Joachim Steiner, #35; Simon Brik, #X Abraham Habermann, #XV; Salomon Mohauer, #XI; Wolf Groschl, #VI; Josef Lobl Bloch, #II; Jeremias weil, #III; Salomon Steiner, #IV; Nehemias weil, #V; Leopold Wolfler, Kopetzen.

During this time the following teachers were active in the Jewish community: Ozias Rosenwasser (1794-1798), Raphael Kohner (1798-1800), Salomon Lobl Bloch (1800-1807), Nehemias Singer in Prostibor (1807-1811), Moses Spitz in Darmaschlag resettled to Lukawitz, Markus Epstein in Prostibor (1816), Abraham Weiskopf (1816-1820), Salomon Franck (1820), Gabriel Franck (1825), Salomon Hartmann (1832).

For the year 1840 new Jewish matriken were introduced and put into effect as of November 1, 1839. The following Jewish families were found there: Salomon Steiner #XV; Joachim Steiner #IX; Abraham Fischer #II, Ezechiel Raumann #IX, Nehemias Weil, Moses Sperber XIII, Moses Raumann, Samson Weiner #II, Jakob Auer, Dr, Leopold Wolfler, Kopetzen, Joseph Grunhut, Pipemaker in Darnschlag, Seligmann Eckstein in Darmschlag #6, David Eckstein in Prostibor #26, Benedikt hofmann in Prostibor #36, Isaac Eckstein #II, Ezechiel Raumann #XI, Isaak Lederer #X, Benedikt Wudel #IX, Salomon Weiner #X, Abraham Fischer In Prostibor, Lobl Schwarz, Butcher; Lazar Schwarz, Peddler, Samuel Steiner in Darmschlag, Elias Hecht in Darmschlag, Emanuel Hofmann, Tenant farmer in Darmschlag, Abraham Steiner, Peddler in Darmschlag, Ozias Israel, Israel Raumann, Ozias Steiner, Butcher; Moses Lederer, Abraham Habermann #XV, Isak Steiner, Peddler in Prostibor, Wolf Steiner #X, Simon Steiner #46, Josef Eckstein #15, Wilhelm Steiner, Jakob Lurie in Prostibor.

Teachers as listed; Kohner Steiner, Familiant and Schutzjude #XI, Teacher and Matrikenfuhrer (1840); Joshua Goldstein, Jewish teacher in Darmschlag (1844); Aron Gartenzaun, Jewish teacher in Prostibor (1853-1859), native of Deschenitz, Pilsner, Kreis; Ignatz Rosenbaum, Jewish teacher in Darmschlag, native of Schonlind, Bezirk Eger; Jakob Bauml, teacher in Darmschlag, native of Leskau (1854). In 1849 there were 42 families and 266 people in Darmschlag.

The houses of the Jews were numbered with Roman numerals I-XV. Number XII was the community house, #VI the synagogue which burned down after lightening struck. Also destroyed were houses #V, 12, 13 and 14. The synagogue was built solely of wood and was decorated with beautiful paintings. The synagogue was not rebuilt, but was continued in #XII by the few remaining Jewish families. The Jewish houses were sold to Christians over time and the Jews moved or emigrated to larger Bohemian cities, to Vienna, Germany and America. The community house was sold in 1895.

The last Jewish teacher was Anspach David Witko who left the town after the sale of the synagogue in 1895. The last Jewish family Wilhelm Steiner living in #57 sold the house and business to businessman Josef Amannfrom Waldheim in 1909 and they relocated to Tachau.

Today the only remembrance of the Jewish community that remains is the cemetery. It is located on the western slope of the 484 meters high White Stone Mountain with nice views to the Seven Mountains and the northern Bohmerwald. (Author's note: I think the 484 meters must be an above sea level measurement. I include a photo of the wooded hillock in which the cemetery of Telice is concealed.

It is 23 acres in size and it was newly laid out in 1801. Its size was increased in 1905. Jews were interred here from the villages of Nedraschitz, Kostelzen, Hochsemlowitz, Mirschikau, Darmaschlag and Prostibor. Also from the cities of Kladrau and Mies. Of the many memorials mentioned are: David Eckstein, Rabbi died at age 81 on November 21, 1892; Benedikt Hofmann of Prostibor died on July 10, 1890 at age 88 years; Leopold Wolfler, practicing doctor in Kopetzen, born March 29, 1806 and died on January 6, 1889 in his 83^rd year of his life. He had 52 dedicated years of service in medicine to God and Mankind giving sympathy and advice to the less fortunate and the poor; help and hope to the sick. This was his life's work. Leopold Wolfler lived in House #9 in Kopetzen. It was owned by Messieurs Simon and Anton Hoffmann who had a hardware business in Pilsen. A plaque on the building proclaims: “In this house lived and worked Dr. Leopold Wolfler between the years 1837-1889.” His son Dr. Anton Wolfler was a well known professor who died on January 31, 1917in Hietzing

Siegmund Wolfler, Banker, born February 2, 1839 in Kopetzen, died on July 12, 1913 in Vienna. Jakob Bauml, teacher, born in Leskau on April 27, 1806 died in Kladrau on August 17, 1894. Jakob Lurie from Prostibor died on November 6, 1912 at age of 67. He was the last chief Kosher butcher for the Jewish community of Dölitschen.

Leopold Wolfler, an outstanding member of the Jewish community and the general practice doctor, lived at house number 9 in Kopetzen (Kopec). This house was then owned by Mrs.Simon and Anton Hoffmann, hardware store in Pilsen. This house has a plaque that says, “In this house lived and worked the practitioner Leopold Wolfler between the years 1837-1889.”

His son was the famous medical professor, Dr. Anton Wolfler, who died on 31 Jan 1917 in Hietzing District of Vienna. His remains were transferred to Prostibor on 24 February 1926. He was born in Kopec in 1850, graduated from high school in Pilsen and then went to the university in Vienna. He then went to the Billroth Clinic. At the age of 35 he was promoted to director of the clinic in Graz and ten years later he was called to follow in the footsteps of Gussenbauer by the German medical faculty in Prague. Dr. Wolfler spent his vacation time in his villa at Kopec. This was not a time for relaxation for Dr. Wolfler, because the sick came from near and far and they found free medical help.

In the logbook of the Volunteer fire department in Dölitschen, which was founded in 1899, there are mentioned the following honorary members of the Jewish community: Siegmund Wolfler, banker in Vienna; Simon Hoffmann, hardware dealer in Pilsen; Simon Steiner, manufacturer in Tachau (Tachov); the family Weil general store in Dölitschen; Heinrich Steiner, tradesman in Gibacht.

After the death of the last director of the Jewish community Jakob Lurie; Josef Hirsch of Darmaschlag and Siegfried Hirsch of Prostibor took care of the administration until the full integration into the K. G. Mies. The synagogue in Prostibor was demolished in 1923, but a part of it was kept to contain the wagon for the dead.

At this time there are three families still in the Jewish community of Dölitschen: Siegfried Hirsch, tradesman in Prostibor; Berta Lurie, general store in Prostibor, and Josef Hirsch, tradesman in Darmaschlag.

Quite often many visitors still arrive from far away cities, to visit their loved ones in the quiet cemetery and to look at the quaint living quarters where their ancestors eked out a living in past times and created the foundation for the future success of the following generations.

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