Weingarten

Summary: In 1840, the Jewish community of Weingarten replaced its dilapidated synagogue on Kirchstrasse (unknown date of construction) with a new house of worship on the corner of Kirchstrasse and Keltergasse. Weingarten’s Jewish school was closed in 1815, after which the community employed a teacher of religion who also served as a shochet and chazzan. The Jewish cemetery on Gewann Effenstiel was consecrated in 1833. In 1933, 60 Jews lived in Weingarten. Five Jewish schoolchildren studied religion with a teacher from Untergrombach, and a women’s association was active in the town. The synagogue’s interior was destroyed on Pogrom Night, as were Torah scrolls, prayer books and furniture; non-Jewish teachers and local schoolchildren participated in the destruction, which included the plundering of a Jewish-owned hardware and machinery shop. The synagogue building was pulled down shortly after the pogrom. Three local Jews moved to Weingarten after 1933. Thirtytwo Jews emigrated from Germany, four moved to Karlsruhe, three died in Weingarten and 24 were deported to Gurs on October 22, 1940. At least 29 Weingarten Jews perished in the Shoah. An outbuilding now stands on the former synagogue site. Commemorative plaques were unveiled nearby in 1985 and in 1993.

Author / Sources: Heike Zaun Goshen
Sources: AH, AJ, EJL, HU, PK BW