Binau

First Jewish presence: late 1700s or early 1800s; peak Jewish population: 146 in 1839; Jewish population in 1933: 20

This community, which belonged to the regional rabbinate of Mosbach from 1827 onwards, built a synagogue with living quarters and a mikveh in 1790. It was during the 18th century, too, that a cemetery was consecrated in Binau. The school for religious studies (1835-1875) was presided over by a local teacher who was a ritual slaughterer and cantor; later, this post was filled by a teacher from out of town. In 1933, 20 Jews lived in Binau. A teacher from Heinsheim instructed three children in religion, and a women’s association organized charitable activities. Local Jews did not at first suffer from the Nazis’ anti-Jewish boycott: It was not until 1936, in fact, that the authorities shut down Jewish-owned businesses, after which Jews had to live on their savings or work as agricultural laborers. Seven Binau Jews immigrated to the United States that same year. On Pogrom Night, the synagogue interior was destroyed and five Jewish men were sent to Dachau. Afterwards, three Jews emigrated and another three relocated within Germany. On October 22, 1940, the remaining seven Jews were deported to the Gurs camp in France. At least 11 Binau Jews perished in the Shoah. Converted into a post office after the war, the former synagogue is now a residential building (7 Reichenbucher Strasse).

Maren Cohen

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

---