Heinsheim synagogue

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Former synagogue in Heinsheim

The Heinsheim Synagogue is a synagogue built in 1796 in Heinsheim , a district of Bad Rappenau in the Heilbronn district in northern Baden-Württemberg . In 1938 the Jewish community gave up its use as a synagogue and sold the building to a farmer. Most recently, the house was used as a locksmith's workshop, and in 2013 the Freundeskreis Frühalige Synagoge e. V. acquire. He wants to create a “lively place for memory, dialogue and culture” in the former synagogue.

history

In the early modern period, two thirds of the local rule in Heinsheim was held by the local lords of the lower nobility and one third by the Teutonic Order . Both local authorities settled Jews from the 16th century. The Jewish community of Heinsheim had a large Jewish cemetery outside the town in Gewann Schlierbach , which was later used as a burial place by up to 25 surrounding Jewish communities. In Heinsheim there was a Jewish school again and again from the 16th century , the synagogues were often called this, which were also visited by the Jews from Wimpfen, where there were close ties.

According to an agreement of 1727, both local rulers could set up their own synagogues for their Jews. For the time being, however, there was a common synagogue in the house of Mayer Joseph, in which both local rulers were prayed for, until in 1744 after a dispute within the community and between the local rulers, Mayer Wolf Levi, who was under the protection of the Teutonic Order, joined his House set up its own synagogue. However, the congregation belonging to the German Order was always too small to hold its own church services. After further arguments, a common synagogue was used again from 1746.

Wedding stone as the keystone of the synagogue portal

In the 1790s, the Jewish community requested permission to build a new synagogue and cantor's apartment. The Barons von Racknitz then offered a "baronial Racknizischen condominal rule zinsbaren Garten Plaz", that is, a building site located on their property and subject to taxes northeast of the castle. There were various objections to the construction of the synagogue. The neighbors felt annoyed “by the daily blaring of the Jews”. The original plans for a “temple-shaped building” with a rounded floor plan and tower were rejected because Jews were only seen as tolerated and they were not granted a representative house of prayer. The Teutonic Order felt the windows, which were planned in the style of church windows, in the building, which was last designed as a simple rectangular structure, were too big and pushed for ordinary house windows to be installed. The tall windows were finally approved because of the required brightness in the women's gallery. In 1796 the synagogue was finally built.

Look inside

The building is a square building with a crooked hip roof facing northeast on a slight slope . There are three raised windows on the long sides and two raised windows on the gable ends. There is also a small oval window ( oculus ) on each side of the gable . The entrance on the southwest gable side has a wedding stone with a Star of David , Hebrew characters and the year 1796 as the keystone . In the building files it is noted that the synagogue was built on the model of the larger synagogue in Freudental, built in 1770 . There are no records of the former interior. The Torah shrine was probably on the east wall, in the middle of the building was a lectern and there was certainly a women’s gallery in the back of the room , which could be reached via a staircase on the outer wall. It is known from building finds that the synagogue had a barrel vault made of stucco and clad with wooden trusses.

The Jewish community still numbered 110 people in 1864, but then fell sharply due to emigration and emigration, so that in 1925 there were only 21 Jews in Heinsheim. When there was further increased emigration during the time of National Socialism , the Jewish community dissolved due to a lack of members in 1937 and sold the synagogue on January 27, 1938 to a farmer from Heinsheim. During the November pogroms of 1938 , the apartments of the last five Jews who remained in Heinsheim were destroyed by SA men, but the former synagogue was not damaged.

On October 22, 1940, Moses Ottenheimer, his daughter Hedwig Freudenthaler and his granddaughter Anna Freudenthaler were deported to the Gurs camp as part of the Wagner-Bürckel campaign . Only Anna Freudenthaler survived as she was freed from the camp. After the Second World War, the building was used as a locksmith's shop for the Artur Semrau company. The formerly existing stucco vault was removed and a flat wooden ceiling was installed.

In 1987 the city of Bad Rappenau had plans to renovate the building. In 1991 the city acquired the synagogue, but the planned renovation did not take place, instead the building was returned to the previous owner in 2003 and continues to be used as a workshop.

In 2005, the remains of a genisa with historical papers and textiles from the 18th century were found in the roof area .

In July 2012, an association was founded to save the former synagogue under the direction of Yvonne von Racknitz. The association wanted to acquire and renovate the building. In August 2012, however, the building was sold to another interested party. In 2013, the association was finally able to acquire the building from the new owner.

literature

  • Wolfram Angerbauer , Hans Georg Frank: Jewish communities in the district and city of Heilbronn. History, fates, documents . Heilbronn district, Heilbronn 1986 ( series of publications by the Heilbronn district . Volume 1), pp. 101-109.
  • Andreas and Michael Rothenhöfer: “Formal church windows” for a “only tolerated sect” - the history of the former synagogue of Bad Rappenau-Heinsheim . In: Bad Rappenauer Heimatbote No. 14 , Bad Rappenau 2003.
  • Michael Rothenhöfer: “Formal church windows” for a “only tolerated sect”. The synagogue of Heinsheim am Neckar and its fate . In: Kraichgau. Contributions to landscape and local research , volume 14/1995, Heimatverein Kraichgau , Eppingen 1995, pp. 151–164.
  • Hans-Heinz Hartmann: Genisa finds in the former Heinsheim synagogue . In: Bad Rappenauer Heimatbote No. 16 , Bad Rappenau 2005.
  • Joachim Hahn and Jürgen Krüger : Synagogues in Baden-Württemberg . Volume 2: Joachim Hahn: Places and Facilities . Theiss, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1843-5 , pp. 34–35 ( Memorial book of synagogues in Germany . Volume 4).

Web links

Commons : Synagogue (Heinsheim)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Synagoge-heinsheim.de: goals
  2. ^ Jewish community Geinsheim in: Alemannia Judaica
  3. ^ Yvonne von Racknitz leads Synagogue Association in Heilbronner Voice from July 10, 2012.
  4. ↑ Simon Gajer: Heinsheim Synagogue is sold in Heilbronner Voice from August 27, 2012.
  5. ↑ Simon Gajer: Association is owned by the Heinsheim synagogue in Heilbronner Voice from July 30, 2013.

Coordinates: 49 ° 15 '42.8 "  N , 9 ° 8' 57.8"  E