Hassloch

Summary: Records suggest that the Jews of Hassloch established a prayer room in the 18th century. Although small-scale repairs were carried out on the deteriorating prayer room in 1835, the building was closed for safety reasons in 1846. That same year, a synagogue was opened at 1 Gillergasse: religious services were conducted upstairs, for the lower floor housed a classroom and a residential apartment; the mikveh, located in the yard, was renovated in 1881. Hassloch’s Jewish cemetery and school were founded in 1821 and 1843, respectively (the latter closed down in 1924). In 1933, four children received religious instruction. A women’s association and a branch of the Zionist organization were active in the community. Later, in 1935, the cemetery was desecrated. On Pogrom Night, Nazis wrecked the synagogue’s interior and burned its ritual objects and furnishings in the yard. The building was set on fire twice: the first blaze died out and the second was extinguished by a local man who wanted to protect his neighboring barn. Several Jewish homes were vandalized. Four months later, in March 1939, the synagogue was sold. Almost all Jews left Hassloch before 1940, most managing to emigrate. On October 22, 1940, the remaining three Jews were deported to the concentration camp in Gurs, France. At least 14 Hassloch Jews perished in the Shoah. After the war, the former synagogue and school were given to the Jewish community of Rhineland-Pfalz. The synagogue was torn down in 1978, and its plot was sold in 1979. The community retained ownership of the school building, to which a memorial plaque was affixed in November 1984.

Author / Sources: Bronagh Bowerman
Sources: AJ, EJL, FJG, SG-RPS, YV