Eppingen Jewish Community

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wedding stone of the old synagogue in Eppingen

There is evidence of a Jewish community in Eppingen as early as the 14th century. A larger community was formed after the Thirty Years' War , comprised more than 220 people in 1839 and had a synagogue , an Israelite school (1825–1868) and its own Jewish cemetery . The size of the community decreased due to emigration and emigration from the second half of the 19th century, the community then practically died out during the Holocaust at the time of National Socialism .

history

The Old Synagogue was built in 1772 and used as a synagogue until 1873
Memorial plaque on the square of the New Synagogue, which was demolished in 1940
Memorial plaque for the extinct Jewish community

Jews are already recorded in Eppingen in the 14th century, but they probably fell victim to the persecution of the Jews at the time of the Black Death during the plague years from 1348 to 1350 or later migrated to Heilbronn . In the 15th and 16th centuries only individual families were resident, from 1549 to 1659 there is no evidence of Jews in Eppingen.

A larger community only formed towards the end of the 17th century, which by 1736 had grown to ten families with a total of 54 people. In 1749 a Jewish school is mentioned for the first time , which was either in the Old University or in the house at Metzgergasse 1 of Löw Mayer and was replaced by a new building in Küfergasse 2 (today's Old Synagogue ) in 1772 , where the mikveh ( ritual bath). The traditional burial of Eppinger Jews took place in the Jewish cemetery in Oberöwisheim , and occasionally in the Jewish cemetery in Heinsheim . In 1818/19 the Eppinger Jewish cemetery was set up on the summit of Hellberg . A little later there was also one of the first Israelite schools in Baden in Eppingen , which came under criticism in its early years because of the predominantly Hebrew lessons and the way of life of the teacher Michael Hirsch and existed until 1868. The Jewish community was assigned to the Sinsheim Rabbinate in 1827 .

In 1830/31 there were riots against Jews in Eppingen, as in other Baden communities, after they wanted to enjoy the coveted civic wood gifts after they had obtained local citizenship , which the Christian citizens envied them and which led to protracted disputes in Eppingen until 1872 . The Jewish community had the largest membership in 1839 with 222 people; however, it then decreased sharply again through emigration and emigration. In 1841 a new Jewish women's bath was built, and in 1872/73 a new synagogue on Kaiserstraße was built according to plans by the Bruchsal architect Lößlin . From 1877 the Israelite community was assigned to the Bretten rabbinate . In 1875, 147 people were counted, in 1900 there were 124 people, in 1925 still 71 and in 1933 still 65.

National Socialist Persecution

The new synagogue was burned down during the November pogroms in 1938 and demolished in 1940. By 1940, most of Eppinger's Jews had emigrated or moved to larger cities. The last four Jews from Eppingen (the Siegel and Sternweiler couples) were deported on October 22, 1940 as part of the Wagner-Bürckel campaign . Two Jewish women living in mixed marriages survived the war and persecution in Eppingen.

The memorial book of the Federal Archives lists 24 Jewish citizens born in Eppingen who fell victim to the genocide of the National Socialist regime .

The Old Synagogue is still a reminder of the Jewish community in Eppingen . Its ritual bath in the basement is set up as a memorial and a decorative wedding stone is located on the facade. There are also memorial plaques at the former location of the new synagogue . Numerous historical tombs have been preserved in the Jewish cemetery at the end of Weinbrennerstrasse.

Community development

year Parishioners
1705 4 families
1729 10 people
1736 54 people
1765 16 people
1771 46 people
1825 187 people
1839 222 people
1864 181 people
1875 147 people
1900 124 people
1925 71 people
1933 60 people

Personalities

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Jewish cemetery in Eppingen (see literature), p. 6f.
  2. ↑ Jewish life in Kraichgau (see literature), p. 192
  3. ^ Commemorative Book - Victims of the Persecution of Jews under the National Socialist Tyranny in Germany 1933 - 1945 . Retrieved October 29, 2009.

literature

  • Wolfram Angerbauer , Hans Georg Frank: Jewish communities in the district and city of Heilbronn. History, fates, documents . District of Heilbronn, Heilbronn 1986 ( series of publications of the district of Heilbronn . Volume 1)
  • Ralf Bischoff, Reinhard Hauke ​​(ed.): The Jewish cemetery in Eppingen. A documentation . Eppingen 1989 ( Around the Ottilienberg . Volume 5)
  • Jewish life in the Kraichgau. On the history of the Eppinger Jews and their families . Heimatfreunde Eppingen, Eppingen 2006, ISBN 978-3-930172-17-7 ( The special series . Volume 5)

Web links