A Jewish community existed in Sankt Poelten as of 1850, but it was officially founded only in 1863 as a Kultusgemeinde (community organization), including the districts of Hietzing-Umgebung, Lilienfeld, St. Poelten, and Melk.
In 1932, there were 1,603 Jews living in Sankt Poelten. The community maintained several communal institutions: a synagogue, an old cemetery (1860-1906), and a new
cemetery. There were also cultural, and women organizations; a Chevra kaddisha (burial society), and Frauenwohltätigkeitsverein (women’s organization).
Dr. Moritz Tinter, Dr. Adolf Kurrein, Samuel Markus, Dr. Adolf Hahn, Dr. Jakob Reiss, Dr. Bernhard Zimmels and Dr. Leopold Weinsberg served as community rabbis until the turn of the century. Dr. Adolf Schächter, in whose term the new synagogue was built, was the influential rabbi of the inter-war period. The last rabbi before 1938 was Professor Dr. Arnold Frankfurter.