Hessdorf
General information: First Jewish presence: 1655; peak Jewish population: 198 in 1830 (38.4% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: 48
Summary: In 1821 or 1828, the Hessdorf community dedicated a new
synagogue at 48 Fussgasse (later 6 Fussgasse). The Jewish
elementary school, founded in 1822, closed down in 1927,
after which the community employed a teacher of religion
who also performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. Local
Jews maintained their own mikveh, but buried their dead in
Laudenbach or Pfaffenhausen.
In 1933, four Jewish schoolchildren studied religion in
Hessdorf. That year, a branch of the Central Association of
German Citizens of Jewish Faith was active in the town.
By 1937, the community could no longer gather a minyan;
accordingly, Sabbath services were conducted with the Jews
of Adelsberg.
On Pogrom Night, rioters destroyed the synagogue’s
interior and windows. The Torah scrolls and ritual objects,
which had been hidden in the teacher’s
house, were found and burned in a
bonfire. One Jewish man was deported
to Dachau, where he died.
Under Nazi rule, at least seven
Hessdorf Jews emigrated; others
relocated within Germany. Two were
deported to Izbica (via Wuerzburg) in
April 1942, and two were deported to
Theresienstadt in September 1942. At
least 30 Hessdorf Jews perished in the
Shoah.
The synagogue site—the building
was demolished after the war—is now
a garden. A commemorative plaque has
been unveiled at the local fire station.
Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK BAV
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK BAV
Located in: bavaria