Dettelbach

Summary: The Jews of Dettelbach maintained a cemetery between the 17th and 19th centuries, after which burials were conducted in Schwanfeld. Records indicate that Dettelbach was home to a synagogue during the 18th century, and we know for certain that the modern community established a new synagogue (at 4 Haefnermarkt) in 1862 and a Jewish elementary school in 1909. By 1924, enrollment had dropped to such an extent that the school (it was located inside the synagogue) was forced to limit its curriculum to religious instruction only. The community also maintained a mikveh. In 1933, a chevra kadisha and a women’s association were still active in Dettelbach. Orthodox Jewish youth groups regularly traveled to Dettelbach for day trips. The synagogue was desecrated on Pogrom Night, and there is reason to believe that it was the mayor who set the curtains on fire. A non-Jewish school was established in the synagogue building after the pogrom. Fifteen Dettelbach Jews emigrated; three relocated within Germany; twelve were deported to Izbica, via Wuerzburg, in April 1942; and 11, the last (including the teacher, Avraham Mannheimer), were deported to Theresienstadt in September 1942. At least 43 local Jews perished in the Shoah. The synagogue was demolished in 1962. The site now accommodates a bank, to which a memorial plaque has been affixed.

Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-BAV