Hainstadt
General information: First Jewish presence: 16th century: peak Jewish population: 249 in 1839; Jewish population in 1933: 38
Summary:
Ten or twelve Jewish families lived in Hainstadt by the turn
of the 17th century. Hainstadt’s Jewish quarter was located
in an area of the city called the Kellerei. The community
established the following institutions: a prayer room—
it housed a mikveh, private apartments and a kosher
slaughterhouse—at present-day 6-8 Hornbacher; a new
synagogue on present-day Buchener in 1819; and a new
mikveh (built in a private residence) in 1840. We also know
that local Jews maintained a Jewish school from the 1830s
to 1869, and that burials were conducted in Boedigheim.
In 1933, local Jewish children studied religion under
the tutelage of a teacher from neighboring Buchen. The
community continued to offer numerous cultural and social
activities well into the Nazi period: for example, Hainstadt
and neighboring Buchen opened a branch of a Zionist
organization in 1934.
On Pogrom Night, SA men broke into the synagogue,
smashed the windows and destroyed furniture and ritual
objects. The structure was not damaged severely, but the
building was nevertheless later torn down, after which an
apartment building was erected on the site.
Eighteen Hainstadt Jews emigrated, eight relocated
within Germany, seven died in Hainstadt and six were
deported to Gurs in October 1940. At least 15 Hainstadt
Jews perished in the Shoah.
Author / Sources: Daniel Weiss
Sources: AJ
www.mahnmal-projekt.de
Sources: AJ
www.mahnmal-projekt.de
Located in: baden-wuerttemberg