Jewish community of Puderbach
The Jewish community in Puderbach in the Neuwied district ( Rhineland-Palatinate ) was a Jewish community whose roots go back to the Middle Ages . The Jewish community was extinguished 1938/40 as part of the German deportation Jews in the Nazi era .
history
The development of the Jewish community in Puderbach, which was independent from 1911 and previously belonged to the Jewish community of Dierdorf , dates back to the 18th century: in 1767 there were three Jewish families in the area. Jewish residents have also been mentioned in the surrounding towns since the second half of the 18th century. In 1767 the two Jews Jacob and Michele lived in Urbach with their families. A Jew David lived in Niederhofen and in Raubach , Mausche Lazarus had lived with his family since 1786. In 1817 there were already 22 Jewish residents in Puderbach (out of a total of 272), in 1843 71 and around 1890 20. In 1813 a synagogue community was formed in Urbach, which also included Raubach and Daufenbach . In 1852, five Jewish families with a total of 39 people belonged to this community. At that time, the Jewish community of Puderbach also included 14 families with a total of 78 people living in Niederwambach , Rodenbach , Oberdreis and Lautzert.
synagogue
The Jewish community initially had a prayer room, which was set up in the still preserved building at 12 Steimeler Strasse. In 1908 the Jewish community applied to build a synagogue and to found an independent Jewish community. The authorities initially rejected the application because the community seemed too financially weak. However, the congregation did not give in with their proposals and was ultimately successful. She was finally able to inaugurate her new synagogue on August 4th and 5th, 1911. This was created by the building contractor Johann-Philipp Spies from Puderbach. It stood on an area of 9 × 7 m. It had high arched windows on the sides . On the west facade it had a porch with a staircase. There was a round window above the porch to illuminate the women's gallery. There was also a religious school, a ritual bath and a Jewish cemetery . A Jewish teacher was probably employed for a time to take care of religious tasks for the community, who also acted as prayer leader and schochet . Otherwise, teachers from neighboring communities came to teach the children in Puderbach, for example the teacher from Dierdorf in the middle of the 19th century . Around 1924 the Puderbach religious community numbered 45 people, which corresponds to 4.5% of a total of around 1,000 inhabitants. A total of 20 Jewish citizens in Steimel , Daufenbach and Rodenbach belonged to the Jewish community . 1932 was the community leader Tobias Tobias; The secretary and treasurer was Hermann Wolff, who owned a grocery store. At that time, 16 Jewish people lived in Steimel and 26 in Urbach.
National Socialist Persecution
In 1933 39 people of Jewish faith out of a total of 680 inhabitants lived in Puderbach. After 1933 some of the Jewish community members moved away or emigrated due to increasing disenfranchisement and reprisals . During the November pogrom in 1938 , the synagogue was burned down by a command led by an SS leader. Only one Torah scroll could be saved. The fire ruin was demolished the following week and the property was sold. At the beginning of 1941 there were still 13 Jewish residents. The last eight were deported from Puderbach to extermination camps in 1942. Of the Jewish people who were born in Puderbach or who had lived there for a long time, 13 perished during the Nazi era, plus four Jewish people who were born in Steimel or who had lived there for a long time.
On November 10, 1979, a memorial plaque was placed on the cemetery chapel in memory of the Jewish residents. A friendship plaque - donated by a Jewish couple who formerly lived in Puderbach - was also placed in the Protestant church.
The location of the former prayer room is at Steimeler Straße 14 (formerly No. 12); that of the synagogue on Barentoner Strasse, directly on the railway line. In 1932 this was house no. 59a.
See also
→ List of former synagogues in the Westerwald
Web links
- History of the Jewish community and the Puderbach synagogue at alemannia-judaica.de
- Albert Hardt: Jews in the area around Puderbach , at genealogy.net ( Memento from April 27, 2006 in the Internet Archive )