Baisingen

First Jewish presence: 1596; peak Jewish population: 238 in 1884; Jewish population in 1933: 86

The first Jews of Baisingen were initially restricted to four “Jewish houses” (of which two are still intact) and a small Judengaessle (“Little Jewish Street”). Built on the Judengaessle in 1784, Baisingen’s synagogue was enlarged in 1837/38. The community established a cemetery and a school in 1778 and 1827, respectively. Eighty-six Jews lived in Baisingen in 1933. The community maintained a synagogue, a cemetery, a mikveh, a school, a chevra kadisha, a women’s association, a youth association and a charity. During the pogrom, on the morning of November 10, 1938, Nazis vandalized the synagogue. Later that evening, between 70 and 80 SA men destroyed the interior and ritual objects, setting the Torah scrolls and prayer books on fire. Thirteen Jewish homes were attacked, one woman was beaten, and seven men were arrested and sent to Dachau, one of whom died a month later. Approximately 60 Baisingen Jews emigrated from Germany. In 1941, 30 Jews from smaller towns and villages in Wuerttemberg were brought to Baisingen. Together with the town’s remaining 35 Jews, they were deported to the East in 1941/42. At least 59 Baisingen Jews perished during the Shoah. In 1948, a monument was unveiled at the cemetery. The restored synagogue, which now houses a permanent exhibition, has been used as a social hall since 1998.

Maren Cohen

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

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