Sugenheim

Summary: Throughout the 18th century, this Jewish community was divided between those members who lived in the “inner castle” and those who lived in the “outer castle” of Sugenheim. (The castles belonged to two different nobles.) Local Jews prayed in nearby Ullstadt, where they also buried their dead, until 1743, when the community received permission to open a prayer room in a private residence and employ an unmarried teacher. In 1756, a synagogue was dedicated at 93 Judengasse, or “Jews’ alley” (later 35 Shlossstrasse). Sugenheim’s Jewish school, first opened in the 19th century, closed in 1924, after which the community employed a teacher who also functioned as chazzan and shochet. In 1933, the community still maintained a chevra kadisha and a branch of the Agudath Israel youth group. Three Jewish children studied religion in Sugenheim, and we also know that the five Jews of Ullstadt were affiliated with the Sugenheim community. On Pogrom Night, the synagogue’s interior and its ritual objects were destroyed, as was furniture in the defunct Jewish school. At least five Sugenheim Jews emigrated, 12 relocated within Germany, 23 left for unknown destinations and two died in Sugenheim. In January 1939, the last Jew left the village. At least 38 Sugenheim Jews died in the Shoah.

Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-BAV
digital.cjh.org