Lieblos

General information: First Jewish presence: mid-18th century; peak Jewish population: unknown; Jewish population in 1933: 7 families
Summary: The aforementioned population statistics include the Jewish residents of Lieblos’ surrounding villages, small in number as those Jews were by comparison. The Jews of Lieblos engaged mainly in cattle and textile trading, and there was one Jewish baker in the area. The community maintained a synagogue, organized classes in religion, and ran an elementary school (1870-1880) and a mikveh. The synagogue building, built in a centuries-old rural mansion with wood paneling, was evidently purchased by one of the members when the congregation outgrew its prayer hall in the mid-18th century. The interior was altered to include eight benches for the men and a ladies’ gallery. At least 25 congregants attended services in the early 1900s, but by 1933 the community could assemble a minyan only on the High Holidays. The Nazis’ boycott campaign drove even more Jews out of the area, and the adjacent communities had to conduct joint services according to a rotating system. The synagogue was vandalized on Pogrom Night. Although the ritual objects had been sent to Frankfurt, they, too, were destroyed that night. The seven Jews who still lived in Lieblos in 1938 managed to flee. The synagogue building was eventually remodeled into a residence with the women’s gallery as the upper floor.
Author / Sources: Harold Slutzkin
Sources: AJ, DJGH
Located in: hesse