Altenbamberg

First Jewish presence: 18th century; peak Jewish population: 66 in 1873 (see below); Jewish population in 1933: 32

This community consecrated its first cemetery in 1750. Religious services were conducted in a prayer hall, located in a private residence, until 1892, when a synagogue was built on Hintergasse (later renamed Burgstrasse). By the end of the 19th century, local Jews had consecrated a new cemetery (probably in 1873) and built a mikveh. A teacher who also served as chazzan and shochet was responsible for the religious education of Jewish children. The village’s peak Jewish population in 1873 included Jews from nearby Ebernburg and Feilbingert. In 1933, the community counted 39 members, six of whom lived in Altenbamberg, 14 in Ebernburg and 19 in Hochstaetten. One Jewish child received religious instruction that year. On Pogrom Night, Altenbamberg’s synagogue was set on fire; the blaze consumed all but the outer walls. We also know that the cemetery was desecrated in 1939. Many Altenbamberg Jews emigrated during the 1930s. Those who remained after the pogrom were, in October 1940, deported to Gurs. At least six Jews from Altenbamberg, four from Ebernburg and five from Hochstaetten perished in the Shoah. The former synagogue site was sold in the 1960s, after which an apartment building was erected there. In 2006, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the newer Jewish cemetery.

Daniel Weiss

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

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