History
The town of Pekela is located in the south-east of the Province of Groningen. The village owes its existence at the end of the 17th century to the vast peatmoor lands. The river the Pekela A was rerouted for the removal of peat and was renamed into Pekelder Hoofddiep. Predominantly the population existed of peat laborers, boatmen, artisans, merchants, and farmers.
At the beginning of the 18th century this elongated village was separated into two villages. Oude Pekela and Nieuwe Pekela. The first Jewish families settled in 1683, and were predominantly occupied in the trade of tobacco. About 1700 the village already counted eight Jewish families. For the first time in 1725 the local Jewish people styled themselves as the Jewish Congregation Pekela. The number of Jewish people strongly increased in the second half of the 18th century. Most of them originated from nearby Eastern Friesland and Poland.
In 1805 both villages counted 248 Jewish people, most of them living in Oude Pekela in the neighborhood of Kamers. The most important sources of income for them were trade in cattle, textiles and assorted goods. Additionally, there were many Jewish butchers in both villages.
As early as 1757 there is talk of by-laws for the Jewish Congregation Pekela. In such a document both religious and civil matters were regulated. The board of the Jewish Congregation could punish breach of the stipulations of the regulations.
In the second half of the 18th century many of the Jewish Congregation were poor.
In 1809 all Jewish people in the territories of The Netherlands then were organized in a National Communion. All Jewish people were organized in Jewish Congregations in the Kingdom, one of them was Oude Pekela. With a new subdivision in 1821 it was laid down that the Jewish people in the villages and towns Oude en Nieuwe Pekela, Wedde, Onstwedde, Vlagtwedde, Sellingen, Ter Apel and Bourtange belonged to the Jewish Congregation Pekela.
Still in that same decade Bourtange obtained the status of Branch Church. At the end of the 19th century other villages would secede and form an independent Jewish Congregation.
In the 19th and 20th century there were but a few changes in the professions of the Jewish people. Most of them earned their livelihood as merchant, shop owner or butcher.
The Jewish population increased strongly in the 19th century. At its peak both Pekelas counted 401 Jewish people. An extensive social live was already a fact. After that year the number of Jewish people decreased fast due to changing social en economical circumstances.
In 1942 both villages combined counted 150 Jewish people. They were deported between August and December 1942. There were only twelve survivors.
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