Albersweiler

First Jewish presence: 1529; peak Jewish population: 271 in 1848; Jewish population in 1933: 32

A Jewish presence was recorded in Albersweiler in 1529, and an official community founded there in either the 16th or 17th century. Records suggest that Albersweiler’s first synagogue was built before 1700 on present-day Hohlstrasse. Established in 1855, the Jewish school was presided over by a teacher who also served as chazzan and shochet. We also know that, in 1868, the community inaugurated a new, Moorish- style synagogue on what was then called Synagogengasse. As for the older synagogue, it was demolished in 1877 to make room for a new school building. In 1933, five children received religious instruction; a charity association was active in the community that year. The Jews of nearby Annweiler, where burials were conducted, were members of the Albersweiler community. Fifteen Jews lived in Albersweiler in 1938. The almost defunct community tried to sell the synagogue to the municipality that same year, but the sale was not approved. On Pogrom Night, the synagogue was set on fire, soon after which the ruins were cleared and the land handed over to the local authorities. Albersweiler’s last four Jews were deported to Gurs in October, 1940. At least 24 local Jews perished in the Shoah. A warehouse was built on the former synagogue site in 1959; a memorial plaque was unveiled there in November, 1988.

Daniel Weiss

Copyright: Pogrom Night 1938 - A Memorial to the Destroyed Synagogues of Germany/ Germansynagogues.com

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