Karlstadt

Summary: The earliest known record of Jews in Karlstadt mentions them in connection with the Rindfleisch riots of 1298. The town’s modern Jewish community was founded in the late 19th century. Karlstadt was home to a Jewish cemetery from the years 1440 to 1563. During the 19th and 20th centuries, local Jews conducted services in a rented hall and buried their dead in Laudenbach. By May 1938, the community could no longer gather a minyan; accordingly, the community joined that of neighboring Laudenbach for religious services. On Pogrom Night, SA, SS, Hitler Youth and a considerable number of local residents (including children) assaulted Karlstadt’s remaining Jews, broke into the prayer hall, destroyed ritual objects and vandalized the interior. The rioters also forced their way into Jewish homes and wrecked everything inside: books, clothes and merchandise were piled up in the marketplace—some were stolen, others confiscated by Nazi organizations, and still others were burned. During the Nazi period, 20 Karlstadt Jews emigrated, three relocated within Germany, eight left for unknown destinations and four died in Karlstadt. By 1940, only two Jewish women remained, both of whom were married to Christians. At least seven local Jews perished in the Shoah.

Author / Sources: Nurit Borut
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK BAV