Langenlonsheim
General information: First Jewish presence: 1685; peak Jewish population: 73 in 1858; Jewish population in 1933: 40
Summary: By 1742, the Jewish community of this small village had
consecrated a cemetery in a forest clearing called In den
Judenkirchhofschlaegen, which was located approximately
four miles from Langenlonsheim. Records from 1823
mention a Jewish prayer hall, and we also know that in
or around 1860, four years after purchasing the land, the
community inaugurated a synagogue on Hintergasse; the
building accommodated 50 male worshipers and a women’s
gallery.
In 1895, the Jews of neighboring Bretzenheim and
Laubenheim were affiliated with the Langenlonsheim
community.
Langenlonsheim was home to 40 Jewish residents in
1933; six Jews lived in Laubenheim. Later, on Pogrom Night
(November 1938), the synagogue’s interior—the walls,
doors, windows and floor—was destroyed; furniture and
silver ritual objects were stolen. In April 1940, the building
was sold at a greatly reduced price.
Although some Langenlonsheim Jews managed to
emigrate from Germany, most relocated within the country.
In 1939, five Jewish families still resided in the village.
Langenlonsheim’s last three Jews were deported in 1942. At
least 20 Jews originally from Langenlonsheim and two from
Laubenheim perished in the Shoah.
In 1958, the former synagogue was demolished to create
space for the construction of a new building.
Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn
Sources: AJ, EJL, FJW, SG-RPS, SIA, SMZG, YV
www.zentralarchiv.uni-hd.de/
Sources: AJ, EJL, FJW, SG-RPS, SIA, SMZG, YV
www.zentralarchiv.uni-hd.de/
Located in: rhineland-palatinate