Griedel

Summary: The first available record of a Jewish presence in Griedel is from the 1540s. The Jewish community, established in the 17th or 18th century, conducted services in a prayer room (possibly a modest synagogue) until February of 1866, when the community festively inaugurated a new synagogue, located on a corner lot with the address of 8 Kleinbachstrasse. Construction of this new house of worship had been underway since 1860. Other communal institutions included a Jewish school, a mikveh on Brudergasse (used until approximately 1920) and a cemetery, the last of which was apparently consecrated in 1801. Records suggest that a Jewish teacher was temporarily employed at some point during the 19th century. In 1932/33, a Jewish teacher from Butzbach instructed two children in religion. The Jewish cemetery was desecrated in August 1931. On Pogrom Night, SA troops looted a Jewish home and set the synagogue on fire, destroying the interior and roof. By May 1939, all local Jews had emigrated from or relocated in Germany. At least 14 Griedel Jews perished in the Shoah. At the synagogue site—the building had been torn down in 1940—a fire station was built in 1965. A memorial plaque was affixed to the new building in October 1992.

Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn
Sources: AJ, DJGH, EJL, FJG, K1938, SIA
geschichtsverein.butzbach.de/griedel.htm