Nieder-Weisel

General information: First Jewish presence: 1723; peak Jewish population: 104 in 1861; Jewish population in 1933: 41
Summary: The Jewish community of Nieder-Weisel (Lower Weisel), founded in the 1830s, established a synagogue (on Weingartenstrasse) in 1835, replacing a former prayer room. The building was renovated in 1885 and, in 1895-1897, the community acquired a building next to the synagogue and established there a community center, a mikveh and a Jewish school, whose teacher also performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. Nieder-Weisel was home to a Jewish cemetery, as was nearby Hoch-Weisel (Upper Weisel). After 1900, the Jews of Ostheim and Fauerbach—who had formerly belonged to the community of Hoch-Weisel—were affiliated with Nieder-Weisel. In 1933, 41 Jews lived in in Nieder-Weisel, five in Ostheim and four in Fauerbach. A charity association was active in the community. On Pogrom Night, the interior of the synagogue was destroyed; several ritual objects were plundered. Thirteen Jews emigrated (seven went to Argentina) and others relocated within Germany. Eight Jews, Nieder-Weisel’s last, left in February 1940; the last three Jews of Fauerbach—an elderly couple and their son—were deported in September 1942 (the parents to Theresienstadt, the son to Poland). At least 25 Nieder- Weisel Jews and three from Fauerbach perished in the Shoah. The synagogue building was later demolished; a residential building now stands on the site.
Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-HNF
Located in: hesse