Fellheim

General information: First Jewish presence: 1670; peak Jewish population: 393 in 1811/12 (61% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: 26
Summary: Rabbis served the Jewish community of Fellheim from 1716 until 1877. The community established a synagogue in 1738, a new cemetery in 1786—it replaced the older burial grounds, which had been closed in 1777—a mikveh in 1794, a school in 1836 and a new synagogue in 1860. The school closed down in 1910, and Fellheim’s Jews were affiliated with the nearby community of Memmingen in 1925. On Pogrom Night, residents from the nearby village of Boos partly destroyed the inside of Fellheim’s synagogue. Later that night, SS men from Memmingen, aided by several Fellheim residents, destroyed what was left of the synagogue’s interior. The synagogue was not burned down, for most of Fellheim’s residents opposed such an act. Jewish homes were, however, damaged and plundered, and one house was destroyed; several Jews were arrested. Jews began leaving Fellheim in 1938; 12 immigrated to the United States. In 1942, 14 Jews, the last, were deported to Piaski and to Theresienstadt. At least 30 Fellheim Jews perished in the Shoah. In 1998, a commemorative plaque was affixed to the former school building, which later became the town hall. The town council purchased the synagogue in 2007.
Author / Sources: Magret Liat Wolf
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK BAV
Located in: bavaria