Nieder-Florstadt

Summary: It is assumed that the Jews of Nieder-Florstadt had established prayer facilities by 1592, as records from that year mention a mikveh. The community consecrated a synagogue (at 13 Faulgasse) in or around the year 1800, which was also used by the Jews of nearby Staden, and a Jewish cemetery in or around 1912. Nieder-Florstadt’s Jewish school, located in the synagogue building, was presided over by a teacher who also performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. In 1933, 28 Jews lived in Nieder-Florstadt. On Pogrom Night (November 1938), the synagogue was burned down; Torah scrolls were thrown into the Nidda River, and the cemetery was desecrated. Most Jews left Nieder-Florstadt, so that by 1939 only 10 still lived there. In September 1942, the last five Jews were deported to Izbica (Poland). At least 28 former Jewish residents of Nieder-Florstadt perished in the Shoah. The synagogue ruins were cleared in 1942; sold on an unspecified date, the site later accommodated a cabinetmaker’s shop. In 1998, the shop was converted into a residential building, to which a memorial plaque was affixed. The Jewish cemetery contains a memorial stone.

Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, NF, PK-HNF