Niederwerrn

Summary: In 1786, the Jewish community of Niederwerrn replaced its synagogue with a new house of worship at 23 Schweinfurter Strasse (renovated in 1885 and again in 1913). Established in 1829 and rebuilt in 1878, the Jewish community center housed a school, a mikveh and an apartment for a teacher who served as chazzan and shochet. Niederwerrn was also home to a district rabbinate (after 1839) and two welfare societies, one of which was a Jewish women’s association. Burials were conducted in Euerbach. Forty-five Jews lived in Niederwerrn in 1933; two children received religious instruction. Windows in Jewish homes were smashed in 1934 and again in 1938; a local Jewish woman was attacked and injured in 1935. On Pogrom Night, a group of 50 SA men and local residents looted Jewish homes; one Jewish woman was raped, and another—a 70-year-old—was thrown into a river. The rioters also destroyed the synagogue’s interior, setting the ritual objects on fire. Four local Jews were sent to Dachau on Pogrom Night, soon after which the remaining Jews were forced to sell their homes and move into one building. Both the synagogue and community center were sold to the municipality for far less than their actual value. Between 1934 and 1940, 21 local Jews emigrated and 18 moved to other cities in Germany. Nine were deported to Izbica and Theresienstadt in 1942. At least 40 Jews originally from Niederwerrn perished in the Shoah. A memorial plaque was later affixed to the former synagogue building, which has been a public library since 2001.

Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn
Sources: AJ, DJGB, EJL, SZJLB
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