Heldenbergen

Summary: Established in the 16th or 17th century, Heldenbergen’s Jewish community numbered 101 members in 1804. The community’s synagogue (on Winkel zur Straubelgasse) was first documented in 1772. A new synagogue was built at 10 Bahnhofstrasse in 1836, accommodating 62 seats for men and 35 for women. Heldenbergen was home to a mikveh and a Jewish school, the latter of which was presided over by a teacher by the name of Wertheimer from 1863 until 1919. We also know that the community consecrated two cemeteries: one in 1818, the other—on Friedberger Strasse— in 1882 (desecrated in 1891). In 1933, 87 Jews lived in Heldenbergen. Several Jewish associations conducted religious, cultural and welfare activities. Although we do not know how many children studied religion that year, the records tell us that in 1931/32, the teacher (he also served as chazzan and shochet) had seven pupils. More than 40 local Jews emigrated from or relocated within Germany between 1933 and 1935. On Pogrom Night, SA men destroyed the synagogue; local residents participated in the looting of ritual objects. Jewish homes were damaged, windows were smashed, the cemetery was partially destroyed and Jewish men were deported to Buchenwald. The synagogue’s walls were later torn down, after which the site was given to the adjacent neighbors. Forty Jews lived in Heldenbergen in 1939, all of whom were forcibly moved into “Jews’ houses” in 1940. In 1942, fifty Jews were deported from Heldenbergen. At least 77 local Jews perished in the Shoah. In 1947, the municipality sold many of the Jewish cemetery’s headstones for use as construction material; later, in 1954, when the grounds were restored, 27 surviving headstones were returned to the cemetery. In 1985, a commemorative plaque was affixed to a building at 12 Bahnhofstrasse.

Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn
Sources: AJ, DJGH, EJL, FJG, SIA
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