Oberelsbach

General information: First Jewish presence: mid-18th century; peak Jewish population: 70 in 1837; Jewish population in 1933: 28
Summary: In 1899, four years after the Oberelsbach Jewish community’s older synagogue had burned down (along with most of the village), a new synagogue and mikveh were established on Elsweg. Burials were conducted in nearby Neustaedtles, and the Jewish communities of Oberelsbach and nearby Nordheim jointly employed a teacher of religion. In 1933, only four Oberelsbach children studied religion, with a teacher from Unsleben. The synagogue was broken into on Pogrom Night. The next afternoon, SA men from outside Oberelsbach, aided by many local residents, wrecked the homes and businesses of Oberelsbach’s last seven Jews, and destroyed the synagogue’s interior and ritual objects. Eight Jews were arrested and imprisoned in Neustadt an der Saale. Between the years 1933 and 1941, 13 Oberelsbach Jews emigrated and six relocated within Germany; three others left for unknown destinations. In February 1942, nine Jews lived in Oberelsbach. Of these, seven were deported to Izbica (via Wuerzburg) in April 1942; in June of that year, two were sent to Wuerzburg, after which, in September, they were deported to Theresienstadt. At least eight Oberelsbach Jews perished in the Shoah. Oberelsbach’s former synagogue and mikveh were later restored. The building has been converted into a café and restaurant.
Author / Sources: Magret Liat Wolf
Sources: AJ, PK BAV
Located in: bavaria