Mainstockheim

Summary: The Mainstockheim Jewish community maintained a synagogue prior to the early 1700s, but the year of its construction is unknown. In 1836, a new synagogue—the building also housed a community hall, a classroom and a mikveh—was built on Hauptstrasse (later renamed An der Synagoge, or “at the synagogue”). Mainstockheim’s “small yeshiva” for young boys, opened during the 19th century and closed during the hyperinflation crisis of 1923/24; then reopened in 1931 as a Jewish school. Burials were conducted in Roedelsee. In 1933, 10 children attended the Jewish school. A women’s association, a chevra kadisha and two other welfare associations (the Chevra Bachurim and the Gemilus Chassodim) were active in Mainstockheim. On Pogrom Night, SA men and local residents destroyed the synagogue’s contents. The mayor, however, prevented the destruction of the synagogue building and Jewish homes; he also persuaded the authorities to release 10 local Jews from Dachau. In the years 1938 to 1940, 26 Mainstockheim Jews emigrated and three moved to other German cities. In 1942, 27 were deported to Izbica (via Wuerzburg) and four to Theresienstadt. At least 72 local Jews perished in the Shoah. The synagogue building—refugees were housed there after the war—was later appropriated by a local Catholic church and used as a community center. A memorial plaque has been affixed to the structure.

Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn
Sources: AJ, DJGB, EJL, PK-BAV, SIA, SZJLB