Altkirch Jewish community
The Jewish community in Altkirch , a French town in the Haut-Rhin department in the Alsace region , was founded in the Middle Ages .
history
Jews living in the formerly western Austrian town of Altkirch were affected by the Armleder persecution in 1338 , as were the persecution of Jews during the plague . In 1397/98 the Jews were expelled from the city.
Only in the 19th century (see History of the Jews in France ) could Jews settle in Altkirch. Through immigration from the surrounding villages, their number grew to around 300 by 1846.
The Jewish community had a synagogue , a Jewish school, a ritual bath ( mikveh ) and a cemetery . In 1844 the Altkirch Rabbinate was established. The best known rabbi was Naphtali Lévy , who worked in the community from 1885 to 1908.
Community development
| year | Parishioners | |
|---|---|---|
| 1846 | 300 | |
| 1865 | 320 | |
| 1910 | 191 | |
| 1936 | 116 | |
| 1940 (end) | no | |
| 1953 | about 150 |
National Socialist Persecution
After the German occupation of Alsace, the Jews in Altkirch were deported to southern France between July and October 1940 and later murdered in the Eastern European concentration camps .
After 1945
After 1945, Jewish people settled in the city again, and from 1950 onwards they were able to use their synagogue , which was profaned by the Germans during World War II , for worship .
literature
- Klaus-Dieter Alicke: Lexicon of the Jewish communities in the German-speaking area. Volume 1: Aach - Groß-Bieberau. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2008, ISBN 978-3-579-08077-2 , Sp. 90-91 ( online edition ).