Leihgestern
General information: First Jewish presence: 1770; peak Jewish population: 46 in 1830; Jewish population in 1933: 22
Summary: Eight Jewish families settled in Leihgestern in 1770, after
which the community grew slowly but steadily. This small
congregation of cattle dealers, butchers and shoemakers
managed to not only to maintain a synagogue, a mikveh
and a cemetery, but also to provide school-age children with
religious instruction. Teachers, most of whom were brought
in from nearby communities, frequently took on the duties
of chazzan and shochet.
The anti-Jewish boycott of 1933 caused many Leihgestern
Jews either to emigrate from Germany or to seek refuge in
larger Jewish communities (from where most were finally
deported). According to records, 10 Jews lived in Leihgestern
in 1939; and in 1942, the remaining six Jews were rounded
up for final deportation.
The synagogue was vandalized on Pogrom Night, after
which it was destroyed. A memorial stone marks the site.
Author / Sources: Harold Slutzkin
Sources: AJ, DJGH
Sources: AJ, DJGH
Located in: hesse