Roth bei Nuremberg

General information: First Jewish presence: 1414; peak Jewish population: 200 in 1837; Jewish population in 1933: 19
Summary: Although the earliest record of a Jewish presence in Roth bei Nuremberg is dated 1414, Jews may have lived there in the 14th century. The Jewish community established its first prayer room (possibly a synagogue) in the 17th century; and in 1737, a synagogue was built on the Judengasse, or “Jews’ alley,” (present-day 44 Kugelbuehlstrasse). Burials were conducted in Baiersdorf and, later, in Georgensgmuend. The Jews of Roth maintained a mikveh and a community center, the latter of which housed a Jewish elementary and school for religious studies. In 1924, the teacher/shochet from nearby Thalmaessing traveled regularly to Roth to instruct children in religion. By December 1935, as a result of rabid anti-Semitism and boycotts of Jewish businesses in which local schoolchildren participated by putting up posters, all Jews had left Roth The town was then declared Judenfrei (“free of Jews”), after which the synagogue’s interior was ransacked. At least nine Roth Jews perished in the Shoah. During the years 1945 to 1948, approximately 16 Shoah survivors lived in Roth. The synagogue was converted into an office building after 1945 and, later, used as a youth center. A model of the former synagogue, created by the Schloss Cronheim therapy center, is on display at the municipal museum.
Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-BAV
Located in: bavaria