Heusenstamm

Summary: Established in the 15th or 16th century, the Jewish community of Heusenstamm numbered 89 members in 1828 and 1849 (11% of the total population); these population figures include the Jewish residents of nearby Obertshausen. The synagogue on Eckgasse (present-day Kirchstrasse) was established in 1650 and renovated in 1829. In 1880/81, a new synagogue was erected on the same site; the building, which was renovated in 1924, accommodated 34 seats for men and 12 for women. Other communal institutions included a school, a mikveh and a cemetery, the last of which was consecrated in 1669. In 1933, between 30 and 32 Jews lived in Heusenstamm; 16 Jews lived in the affiliated communities of Bieber (14) and Obertshausen (two). Teacher Max Eckmann—he had been hired in 1885—not only instructed five children in religion (1932), but also performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. The community maintained a welfare association and a library. We also know that a local Jew was temporarily imprisoned in Osthofen concentration camp in 1933. The synagogue was damaged on Pogrom Night, its ritual objects destroyed. Jewish homes and stores were vandalized, SA men desecrated the cemetery and seven Jewish men were sent to Dachau. Sold after the pogrom, the synagogue was converted into an apartment building. By 1940, only one Jewish family lived in Heusenstamm. Many local Jews emigrated from or relocated inside Germany. At least 29 Heusenstamm Jews perished in the Shoah, as did two from Bieber and three from Obertshausen. As of this writing, a memorial plaque has never been affixed to the former synagogue building.

Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn
Sources: AJ, DJGH, EJL, SIA
www.stadt-heusenstamm.de