Guldenthal

Summary: In the mid-1800s, Jews from the small villages of Heddesheim and Guldenthal/Waldhilbersheim founded a Jewish community. Religious services were conducted in a rented room in Guldenthal—less than ideal accommodation, for the room often became overcrowded—until 1910, when the community purchased an inexpensive house and converted it into a synagogue; a modest building, it did not require much renovation. The inauguration ceremony was attended by local dignitaries. On Pogrom Night, the interior of the synagogue was plundered and destroyed: windows were smashed; doors were broken down; Torah scrolls were ripped into shreds; silver goblets, candelabra, and ornaments were destroyed; and the ark, pulpit, benches and furniture were broken. In 1939, the building was sold to a neighboring resident who bricked up the windows and used the site as a storage facility. The town of Guldenthal took over the building in 1994, after which it was classified as a memorial site.

Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: AJ, EJL, SG-RPS