Baiersdorf

General information: First Jewish presence: 15th century; peak Jewish population: 440 in 1837 (28.4% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: 19
Summary: Baiersdorf (Bavaria) – First Jewish presence: 15th century; peak Jewish population: 440 in 1837 (28.4% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: 19 Baiersdorf was home to a regional Jewish cemetery from the 14th century onwards. During the 16th century, the town’s Jewish community was one of the most important in the Bayreuth margraviate. The fact that a rabbinate was based in Baiersdorf during the 17th century, and that the town later became home to the central rabbinate for the Bayreuth margraviate (until 1888) gives some indication of the community’s influence. The Jews of Baiersdorf established a new synagogue in 1651—its 15th-century predecessor had been destroyed in the Thirty Years’ War—and another synagogue (financed by Samson Solomon, a local court Jew) in 1711. Local Jews also maintained a mikveh. By 1938, all but three Jews had left Baiersdorf. The synagogue was nevertheless vandalized on Pogrom Night, and its furniture and mikveh were destroyed; the cemetery, too, was desecrated that night. After the pogrom, Baiersdorf ’s three remaining Jews were sent to Erlangen. One Jewish couple died in Fuerth. Only one Jewish woman—she was married to a Christian—survived the war in Baiersdorf. At least five Baiersdorf Jews perished in the Shoah. The synagogue building was later demolished; a commemorative plaque was unveiled at the site in 1986. Earlier, in 1980, a memorial stone was unveiled at the cemetery.
Author / Sources: Hannah Porat; Sources: AJ, PK-BAV, SG-B
Located in: bavaria