Jewish community Grebenau
The Jewish community in Grebenau , a town in the Vogelsbergkreis in Hesse , was officially founded in 1806. However, the Kehillah existed much earlier.
history
The oldest documents are the entries in a birth register, starting on May 15, 1734 with the birth of Jaunle (?) Bachrach, son of Abraham Baruch. In 1770 there were six Jewish families in the area. In 1861 the Jewish community reached its highest number with 186 members. The Jews in Grebenau were merchants and cattle dealers, but also craftsmen ( saddlers , upholsterers , bakers , tailors and shoemakers ).
The Jewish community owned a synagogue , a Jewish school ( elementary school from 1839 to 1929), a ritual bath ( mikveh ) and a cemetery laid out in the 18th century . The congregation had employed a teacher who was both a prayer leader and a schochet . The Jewish community belonged to the Liberal Provincial Rabbinate in Giessen.
The following Jewish associations existed: the Chewrat Hanorim Charity Association , the Chewrat Talmud Torah Association and the Israelite Women's Association . The majority of the Jewish men were members of the gymnastics club and the warrior club , as many were war participants from the First World War .
synagogue
At first there was only a prayer room or a first synagogue. A new synagogue was built on Jahnstrasse between 1825 and 1864. It had 96 places for men and 52 places for women on the gallery . The Jewish school and the ritual bath were also housed in the synagogue building.
Less than a week after the pogrom in November 1938 , the synagogue was completely destroyed by arson.
National Socialist Persecution
After 1933 most of the Jewish community members moved away or emigrated due to increasing disenfranchisement and reprisals.
The memorial book of the Federal Archives lists 59 Jewish citizens born in Grebenau who fell victim to the genocide of the National Socialist regime .
Community development
| year | Parishioners | in% of the total population |
|---|---|---|
| 1826 | 122 | |
| 1861 | 186 | 26.9% of 692 inhabitants |
| 1880 | 170 | 25.5% of 666 inhabitants |
| 1895 | 127 | 10.2% of 660 inhabitants |
| 1910 | 128 | 20% of 640 inhabitants |
| 1924 | 86 | 12.5% of 687 inhabitants |
| 1933 | 60 | |
| 1939 | 32 |
Commemoration
In November 2008 a memorial stone was erected in memory of the Jewish community at the site of the destroyed synagogue. It bears the inscription: “The synagogue of the Jewish community Grebenau has stood here in the immediate vicinity since 1825. As a result of the pogrom night of November 9, 1938, the house, which also served as a school for all Grebenau residents, was desecrated by the National Socialists and then destroyed by fire. A reminder to future generations to stand up for democracy, international understanding, peace and religious tolerance. The citizens of the city of Grebenau. The secret of reconciliation is called memory. "
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 ( online version ).
- Norbert Hansen: Heinrich Lichtenstein - a Jewish teacher in Grebenau 1909–1929 . In: Messages from the Alsfeld History and Museum Association. Issue 1, June 2011, pp. 3–26 (not evaluated)
Web links
- Jewish community Grebenau near Alemannia Judaica (with many photos)