Untererthal

Summary: Records from 1737 mention a synagogue in Untererthal; located in the apartment of a Jewish resident named Nathan, it was demolished that same year because the owner did not have the necessary permits. At some point after 1805, local Jews established a prayer hall (at 15 Judengasse, or “Jews alley”), a Jewish school, and a mikveh, the last of which was built near Burgmuehle. Burials were conducted in Pfaffenhausen. During the 19th century, the community employed a series of instructors in religion who, in addition to teaching, led prayer services and served as ritual slaughterers. In 1817, Moses Weisenberger became the first chazzan of Untererthal. In 1933, only 20 Jews still lived in Untererthal. As a result of zealous local enforcement of the anti-Jewish boycott, most of the town’s remaining Jews lived in poverty. The synagogue was vandalized on Pogrom Night. Later, in 1942, 12 local Jews were deported to Izbica and two to Theresienstadt. According to Yad Vashem, at least 25 Untererthal Jews were killed in the Shoah. The synagogue building is still intact, but as of this writing, a memorial plaque has never been erected there.

Author / Sources: Benjamin Rosendahl
Sources: AJ, EJL, SG-B1, YV