Ockenheim
General information: First Jewish presence: 1661; peak Jewish presence: 57 in 1895; Jewish population in 1933: 29
Summary: The Jewish community of Ockenheim, founded in or around
the year 1750, may have established a prayer hall at some point
during the 18th century. We know for certain, however, that
the community inaugurated a synagogue at 27 Bahnhofstrasse
in 1835; thoroughly renovated in 1883, the synagogue was
enlarged to accommodate a women’s gallery. Although the
Jews of Ockenheim were able to maintain a mikveh, funerals
were conducted in Gau-Algesheim.
Records suggest that the village was home to a Jewish
elementary school in 1870. Later, the community employed
a teacher of religion who also performed the duties of chazzan
and shochet.
In 1933, 29 Jews lived in Ockenheim; two Jewish
schoolchildren received religious instruction. All Jews
managed to leave the village before Pogrom Night, the last
departing in September 1938; two immigrated to the United
States while the others relocated within Germany. Although
the synagogue had been sold to a Christian in 1935, its
windows were smashed on Pogrom Night.
At least 38 Ockenheim Jews perished in the Shoah.
The synagogue’s new owner—the building was later used
as a storage site—rejected several appeals to renovate the
building, wanting, instead, to tear it down. In 1991, however,
the building was declared a protected historical landmark. In
1995, a memorial plaque was affixed to the local monument.
Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, PK-HNF
Sources: AJ, PK-HNF
Located in: rhineland-palatinate