Georgensgmuend

Summary: Records tell us that a synagogue burned down in Georgensgmuend in 1631. The regional Jewish cemetery there, established in the late 16th century, was enlarged on several occasions. Georgensgmuend’s Jewish community established another synagogue (it housed a mikveh) in 1735; and in 1836/37, that synagogue was enlarged to accommodate a community center with a school, a mikveh, and teacher’s lodgings. In 1933, a chevra kadisha and a women’s association were active in Georgensgmuend. A teacher from nearby Ellingen instructed one child in religion. As most Jews had left Georgensgmuend by October 1938, the synagogue’s ritual objects were moved to Munich. Although the synagogue was not burned down on Pogrom Night (it had been purchased by a local baker), the interior was partly destroyed, as were the ritual objects in Munich. Windows in Jewish homes were shattered and several Jews were imprisoned. Two days after the pogrom, Georgensgmuend’s remaining 12 Jewish inhabitants were expelled. At least 37 local Jews perished in the Shoah. In 1988, the synagogue and school were purchased and restored by the municipality. Original murals were discovered there during the restoration process, as was a genizah. The buildings were opened to visitors in 1997. A memorial pillar was erected near the synagogue in 2000.

Author / Sources: Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK BAV www.georgensgmuend.de