Kirchhain

General information: First Jewish presence: 17th century; peak Jewish population: 221 in 1910 (over 9% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: approx. 200
Summary: By 1910, the year in which the community recorded its peak membership figure, most local Jews had established themselves as traders and merchants (of cattle, grain, skins, wood and textiles). In 1743, a Jewish cemetery was consecrated on Roetheweg; it was enlarged in 1860, again in 1880 and once again in or around 1923. We do not know when the community established its prayer room, but records do tell us that it was moved to a private residence near the marketplace in 1811, where, it is presumed, services were conducted until the establishment of a synagogue in 1904 (on Niederrheinische Strasse). The adjacent community center housed a mikveh, a school and an apartment for a teacher who served as shochet and chazzan. Kirchhain’s Jewish community, home to several prominent academics, also maintained a Jewish women’s association and two charitable organizations. In 1933, approximately 200 Jews lived in Kirchhain, many of whom emigrated from or relocated within Germany during the following years. On Pogrom Night, rioters desecrated the cemetery, after which the town expropriated the site. Jewish property was plundered, Jews were assaulted and the synagogue’s interior was destroyed and burned down. Later, in 1941 and 1942, the remaining Jews were deported. At least 67 local Jews perished in the Shoah. Kirchhain’s synagogue building was used as a storage site during the war. In 1945, a section was torn down and replaced by a commercial building; the other section was renovated into a residential unit. The neighboring community center was also pulled down, and the site now accommodates a parking lot. At the synagogue site, part of which was eventually restored, a memorial plaque was unveiled in 1988.
Photo: The synagogue of Kirchhain. Courtesy of: Unknown.
Author / Sources: Heike Zaun Goshen
Sources: AH, AJ, EJL
ph-heidelberg.de/
Located in: hesse