Hofheim
General information: First Jewish presence: 1860; peak Jewish population: 59 in 1910; Jewish population in 1933: 43
Summary: It was not until 1860 that Jews were permitted to settle in
Hofheim. In 1920, the Jewish community merged with that
of nearby Lendershausen, forming the Jewish community of
Hofheim-Lendershausen.
Hofheim’s synagogue (it housed a mikveh and a classroom)
was established in 1920, when the Lendershausen synagogue
closed down. The community employed a teacher who
performed the duties of chazzan and shochet, and Jewish
burials were conducted in Kleinsteinach.
In 1933, four schoolchildren studied religion in
Hofheim. A Jewish women’s association and a Chevras Bikur
Cholim (society for visiting the sick) were still active in the
community that year. Later, in 1934, local Nazis revived a
blood libel allegation from 1929 (it had originated in nearby
Manau) and used it as a pretext to arrest Jews in Hofheim
and the surrounding areas; these Jews were imprisoned for
several months.
On Pogrom Night, a mob of local residents destroyed
the synagogue’s furniture, ritual items and mikveh. Several
Jews were arrested.
All Jews left Hofheim between 1933 and 1940. Sixteen
emigrated, 28 relocated within Germany and two, the last
(both were from Lendershausen), were moved to Wuerzburg
in April 1942, after which they were deported to Izbica. At
least 12 Hofheim Jews and eight from Lendershausen were
murdered in the Shoah.
A memorial plaque was later unveiled at the town hall.
Photo: The synagogue of Hofheim. Courtesy of: District Archive of Hofheim.
Author / Sources: Yaakov Borut
Sources: AJ, PK BAV
Sources: AJ, PK BAV
Located in: bavaria