Miltenberg

Summary: Miltenberg’s medieval synagogue appears to have been built at some point between the year 1290 and the year 1300. Although Jews were expelled from Miltenberg during the Middle Ages, they resettled there in the 17th century, at which point the old synagogue was owned by a priest. In 1755, the community succeeded in buying back the synagogue, but the building gradually fell into disrepair. A prayer room was established in 1851 (at 174 Riesengasse), and in 1904 the community built its third and last synagogue on Mainstrasse (it also housed a classroom and a teacher’s apartment). In 1864, Rabbi Abraham Hirsch founded a small (junior) yeshiva in Miltenberg; the yeshiva moved to Mainstockheim in 1866. The community also maintained a mikveh and two cemeteries: one established in the 15th or 16th century, the other in 1904. The synagogue interior was destroyed on Pogrom Night. A section of the building was later demolished to create space for a parking lot, and the remainder was converted into a residential property. Forty-three Miltenberg Jews emigrated and 42 relocated within Germany. In 1942, the remaining ten Jews were deported to Izbica and to Theresienstadt. At least 39 Miltenberg Jews perished in the Shoah.

Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK BAV