Hassfurt
General information: First Jewish presence: 13th century; peak Jewish population: 125 in 1910; Jewish population in 1933: 91
Summary: Jews were persecuted in Hassfurt during the Rindfleisch
massacres of 1298 and the Black Death pogroms of 1348/49.
A permanent Jewish presence was established in the town
in the 19th century.
In 1888, the community built a synagogue on Schlesinger
Strasse; the building also housed a school and mikveh. Jewish
burials took place in Kleinsteinbach, and we also know that
beginning in the mid-19th century, the community employed
a teacher of religion who performed the duties of chazzan
and shochet.
In 1933, a chevra kadisha and a women’s association were
active in Hassfurt. Nine schoolchildren studied religion
there.
On Pogrom Night, the synagogue’s interior was
destroyed; Torah scrolls and other ritual items were
burned. Jewish homes and stores were vandalized, the
school’s furniture and the mikveh were wrecked, and all
Jewish men were arrested.
During the Nazi period, 34 Hassfurt Jews emigrated and
34 relocated within Germany. In January 1940, however, two
Jewish children were still attending lessons in religion. Later,
in April 1942, 16 Hassfurt Jews were deported to Izbica
(via Wuerzburg); and in September 1942, the last two were
deported to Theresienstadt (also via Wuerzburg). At least 34
Hassfurt Jews perished in the Shoah.
A memorial plaque was later unveiled at the former
synagogue site.
Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, JM, PK-BAV
Sources: AJ, EJL, JM, PK-BAV
Located in: bavaria