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Jews in Esch were fully assimilated and integrated into the majority Luxembourgish society. There were no separated districts or streets reserved only for Jews. Children attended public school and were exempt from the study of Catholoc religion.
The rue de l'Alzette features beautiful patrician houses, some of which used to have small gardens. The period from 1890 to 1940 can be considered the "golden age" of the Jewish community in Esch. The Jews were particularly well represented in fields such as textiles (male and female clothing), shoemakers and furriers. On the eve of the German invasion in May 1940, there were 87 Jewish businesses, most of those on rue de l'Alzette and rue du Brill.
Jewish businesses were so significant that on Yom Kippur (a high holiday on the Jewish calendar), almost half of the shops in the street rue de l’Alzette were closed. The Eschois got used to this, and did not go shopping on this day.
Jews in Esch saw themselves as sincere Luxembourgish patriots. In their minds, they were hidden behind the Grand Duchy, the neutral and strong fortress protecting them and all the people of Luxembourg against the surrounding world. Luxembourgish Jews did not realize the danger of rising Nazism. Germany invaded Luxembourg on May 10, 1940.