Treis

Summary: Most local Jews in Treis earned their living as cattle traders, peddlers, butchers and, later, as merchants and bankers. In Treis, a Jewish cemetery was consecrated in 1731. In 1829, an 18th-century prayer room was replaced by a synagogue on Hauptstrasse; renovated in 1879, the synagogue seated 64 men and 45 women. The Jewish school next door housed a mikveh and an apartment for a teacher, who also served as shochet and chazzan. In 1933, 50 Jews lived in Treis. During the following years, 10 immigrated to the United States, six to South America, two to South Africa and one to Palestine; ten Treis Jews relocated to other towns and cities in Germany. On Pogrom Night, SA men and members of the Hitler Youth desecrated the synagogue and burned its ritual objects in front of the old city hall. Local Jews were forcibly moved into one house in 1939 and, in September 1942, the remaining Jews were deported. At least 27 Treis Jews perished in the Shoah. The former synagogue building—it had been converted into a barn in 1939—was torn down in the 1950s. Memorials were unveiled in the Jewish cemetery and near the new city hall in 1978 and 1990, respectively.

Author / Sources: Heike Zaun Goshen
Sources: AH, AJ, EJL