Griesheim

Summary: Records indicate that Griesheim was home to a prayer hall, located in the Judenhof (or “Jews’ yard”), in the late 18th century. In 1812, the Jewish community built a synagogue at 11 Hintergasse; it was enlarged to accommodate 57 men and 30 women in 1902. Local Jews maintained a mikveh, and, beginning in the late 18th century, employed a teacher of religion who performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. We also know that the modern community conducted burials in Gross-Gerau. (An older cemetery was discovered during excavations.) In 1933, five children studied religion in Griesheim. In March of that year, two Jews were summoned to the city council building, where they were severely beaten by Nazis; one was hit with clubs and whips until he collapsed. On Pogrom Night, the interior of the synagogue was destroyed: Torah scrolls, ritual objects and furniture were burned, and memorial plaques commemorating Jews who fell in World War I were smashed. That night, Otto Loeb’s department store was ransacked by a mob. Many Jews moved to Griesheim after 1933. Twenty-seven Jews emigrated, 40 relocated within Germany, seven passed away and two died in concentration camps. At least eight Griesheim Jews perished in the Shoah. The synagogue building was destroyed during a bombing raid in 1944. In 1984, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the site.

Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-HNF
www.jewishgen.org/cemetery/w-europe/germanyg.html