Eltville on Rhine

Summary: Although Jews lived in Eltville as early as the 14th century, a lasting community was not founded there until 1780. At some point during the 18th century, a prayer room was set up inside Enoch Abraham’s house. Beginning in 1831, however, the community conducted services in a synagogue—it was owned by the rabbinate in Wiesbaden—on Schwalbacher Strasse. Local Jews maintained a mikveh and a school for religious studies, and we also know that burials were conducted in Mainz until 1847, after which the community used the cemetery in Oestrich; in 1895, Eltville Jews finally consecrated their own cemetery on Schwalbacher Strasse. In 1932, the community leaders were Leopold Bach and Eduard Rosenthal. Eleven children studied religion under the guidance of Mr. Katzenstein, a teacher from Schierstein. Three Eltville Jews passed away in 1933. Ten or twelve managed to emigrate between 1933 and 1938; eight resettled elsewhere in Germany. On Pogrom Night, SA men ravaged the synagogue’s interior. Six Jews still lived in Eltville in 1939, all of whom were deported. At least 20 former residents of Eltville perished in the Shoah. Numbers for Kiedrich (an affiliated community) are not available. The synagogue building was converted into a combined business and residential property, to which a memorial plaque was later affixed.

Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJ