In 1626, the Jewish quarter of Łutsk formally requested to build a stone synagogue. It was granted by Sigismund III of Poland. The agreement stipulated that the new building must also act as a fortress with a parapet and cannons on its roof. It still stands today. The fortress synagogue of Łutsk was test- ed in 1648 during the Khmelnytskyi Uprising. During that pogram, approximately 400 Jews sought refuge in the temple. They were over- come, resulting in calamity. One year later the census showed the population of Jews in the town plummeted to 32. It is hard to know what happened to the rest. One written account claims that half were killed, and the rest fled. This seems plausible because a couple of years later the 1652 census rebounded to 242, just over half.
The population expanded again, with the 1765 census reporting 1,842. In 1802, Russian Imperial legislation evicted the Jews from the surrounding villages and drove them into cities. Łutsk swelled to 5,010 Jews by 1847, 60% of the population, reaching 9,468 by 1897. At its peak, 1937, there were 15,879 Jewish resi- dents. When the Nazis arrived they reduced Łutsk to a ghetto and destroyed it.
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Benzy Shuster with unknown and unknown couple.
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