Eichstetten
General information: First Jewish presence: approximately 1717; peak Jewish population: 420 in 1871; Jewish population in 1933: 91
Summary: Beginning in the 1760s, the Jews of Eichstetten conducted
services in a prayer hall located in a private residence. The
community consecrated a cemetery and a synagogue—it
housed a mikveh and was located at 10 Altweg—in 1809
and 1829, respectively. Three charitable societies (including a chevra kadisha
and a women’s association), a youth association and a
branch of the Achawa society were active in Eichstetten in
1933. The community still employed a teacher/chazzan,
but only one child received religious instruction that year.
The Jews of Endingen were members of the Eichstetten
community.
On the day before Pogrom Night, SS and SA men
destroyed the inside of the synagogue and burned the
furniture; local Jews were forced to watch the destruction.
Jewish property was also damaged, and the mikveh was
destroyed the following day. Eighteen men were sent to
Dachau, where two died.
Fifty local Jews emigrated, eight moved to other places in
Germany and nine died in Eichstetten. Within the remaining
exterior walls of the former synagogue a garden was planted.
In 1988, a plaque was also unveiled at the cemetery.
Photo: The synagogue of Eichstetten. Courtesy of: Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, Art. No. 101A-A14.
Photo 2: Interior of the synagogue of Eichstetten. Courtesy of: Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, Art. No. 101A-A15.
Author / Sources: Maren Cohen
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-BW
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-BW
Located in: baden-wuerttemberg