Wilhermsdorf
General information: First Jewish presence: early 15th century; peak Jewish population: 226 in 1811 (20% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: 35
Summary: The Jews of Wilhermsdorf established a cemetery in the
15th century and a synagogue during the 16th century, the
latter of which was destroyed in the Thirty Years’ War. The
town became famous for its Hebrew printing presses, which
produced some 170 works during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The community established a mikveh on an unspecified
date; a new synagogue in 1727; a Jewish elementary school
in 1823 (it closed in 1924); and a new synagogue, at
1 Hauptstrasse (then Langenzenner Strasse), in 1893. The
cemetery was enlarged in 1865.
Five Jewish children studied religion in Wilhermsdorf
in 1933. In September 1938, during the Sudeten Crisis,
youths wearing costumes broke into Jewish homes,
destroyed the contents and abused the inhabitants, after
which Wilhermsdorf ’s remaining Jews fled the town. The
synagogue was sold in October 1938, and its ritual objects
and Torah scrolls were transferred to Fuerth, from where the
scrolls were smuggled abroad.
The synagogue was damaged on Pogrom Night; furniture
inside the building was destroyed, as were the ritual items
in Fuerth.
During the Nazi period, one Wilhermsdorf Jew emigrated,
23 relocated within Germany, nine left for unknown
destinations and two died in Wilhermsdorf. Between 10
and 37 Wilhermsdorf Jews perished in the Shoah.
The synagogue building was used for storage before being
converted into a residence.
Author / Sources: Heike Zaun Goshen
Sources: AH, AJ, EJL, PK-BAV
Sources: AH, AJ, EJL, PK-BAV
Located in: bavaria