Butzweiler

First Jewish presence: 1753 (one Jew); peak Jewish population: 93 in 1860; Jewish population in 1933: 50

Butzweiler Jews initially belonged to the Jewish community of nearby Aach. The village’s Jews were recognized as a partially independent community in 1846 and, in 1892, as fully independent. The community established a prayer hall in 1846, a cemetery in 1865 and a synagogue—the building contained a classroom and living quarters for a teacher—in 1892. We also know that Butzweiler was home to a mikveh and a school for religious studies, the latter of which was presided over by a schoolteacher who performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. By 1925, the Jews of nearby Kordel, Ralingen and Edingen had joined the Butzweiler community. Later, in 1932, the Jewish cemetery was desecrated. On Pogrom Night, SA men and local residents broke down the synagogue door, destroyed the interior of the building, threw benches from the women’s balcony and—this was done in the street—ripped apart the Torah scroll; Jewish homes were ransacked and the cemetery was desecrated. The following day, Jews were forced to leave the village and move towards the Luxembourg border; they were not permitted to cross, and many returned to Butzweiler. In May 1939, 16 Jews were still living in Butzweiler. In 1943, the village’s last five Jews were deported to the East, and 19 others were eventually deported from Trier. At least 50 Butzweiler Jews perished in the Shoah. The former synagogue was used for various purposes after the pogrom. The building was eventually converted into a residential property, and a commemorative plaque was erected there in 1988.

Bronagh Bowerman

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

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