History
Leens, an agricultural oriented village, is located in the north-west of the Province of Groningen. The first Jewish families settled here in the first half of the 18th century. In the second half of that century the village never counted more than three Jewish families, that were closely akin. We know from the bills of the Jewish Congregation Groningen that these Jewish people depended on the City of Groningen for their religious needs.
Considering the relatively large distance between both places they must have visited the Groninger synagogue seldom. For religious education of the children the parents called upon so-called home teachers. Most of the time they were poorly qualified teachers, who had to make a living as a servant besides teaching. The most important sources of income for the Leens and Ulrum Jews was trade in cattle and meat. Apart from that there was trade in textiles and assorted goods. This applies as well for the the 19th and 20th century.
Officially the local Jewish people belonged to the Jewish Congregation Winsum as of 1813. The distance between the two towns was that large, that it is doubtful one visited the synagogue in Winsum often. It is therefore not surprising that it resulted in the secession of the Jewish Congregation Winsum, and the Jewish Congregation Ulrum-Leens was founded.
Only 18 Jewish people lived in both towns in 1809, this number increased to 45 in 1899. Here as well the number of Jewish people decreased in the 20th century due to changing social and economical circumstances. Both towns counted yet 13 Jewish people in 1941. They were deported in November 1942.
On the General Cemetery there is a monument in memory of the inhabitants of both places perished in the Second World War. Engraved are the names of the Jewish people that have been deported.
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