Wuestensachsen
General information: First Jewish presence: 1630; peak Jewish population: 137 in 1871 (13% of the total population): Jewish population in 1933: 82
Summary: The Jewish community of Wuestensachsen, with
which the Jews of nearby Melperts were affiliated,
was the largest community in the Gersfeld area.
Religious services were initially conducted
in a dilapidated building (first documented in
1865); later, apparently during the 1870s, a new
synagogue was built on Hauptstrasse (presentday
Rhoenstrasse). Wuestensachsen’s Jewish
elementary school, established in 1894 and for
which a new building was built during the years
1899 to 1903, was presided over by a teacher
who also performed the duties of chazzan and
shochet. Local Jews were able to maintain their
own mikveh, but conducted burials in Weyhers.
A chevra kadisha, a charity, a women’s
association and youth groups were still active in
the community in 1933. The school closed down in 1938,
after which its four remaining students studied in Fulda.
On Pogrom Night, SA troops burned down the synagogue
after ransacking the building.
At least 22 Jews emigrated (17 to the United States),
32 resettled elsewhere in Germany, 22 left for unknown
destinations and one passed away in Wuestensachsen. We
also know that the remaining Jews left the town in January
1939. At least 48 Wuestensachsen Jews perished in the Shoah.
The schoolhouse, which accommodated a public library
and the mayor’s office after 1941, was converted into a
residence in 1985. A memorial plaque was unveiled at the
local council building.
Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-HNF
www.ehrenberg-rhoen.de
www.gedenkbuch.halle.de
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-HNF
www.ehrenberg-rhoen.de
www.gedenkbuch.halle.de
Located in: hesse