Brauna

Summary: Breuna was home to a Jewish school in 1867, and it is likely that the building housed a prayer room. The community inaugurated a small synagogue on Lange Strasse in 1876; in 1925/26, the synagogue was enlarged to accommodate 50 men and 20 women. Until the late 1920s, the community employed teachers of religion who also served as cantors and ritual slaughterers. We also know that the Jews of Breuna maintained a mikveh and, from the 18th century (possibly earlier) onwards, one of the largest regional cemeteries in Hessen. In 1933, 13 Jews lived in Breuna. The Jews of Niederelsungen, Oberlistingen and Wettesingen were affiliated with the community. According to the records, 17 Jews lived in Breuna in 1937. Although the synagogue had been sold in August 1938, the SA set it on fire on Pogrom Night; the interior and roof were destroyed, but the exterior walls remained intact. Later, in 1939, the synagogue was converted into a barn. Three Jews emigrated, two relocated within Germany and two died in Breuna. Breuna’s last Jewish family (six members) was deported to the East in May 1942. At least 16 Jewish residents of Breuna, 11 from Niederelsungen, nine from Oberlistingen and one from Wettesingen perished in the Shoah. In 1988, a memorial plaque was affixed to the renovated synagogue building. The cemetery houses a memorial stone.

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