Boechingen
General information: First Jewish presence: 1584; peak Jewish population: 1852 (25% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: 45
Summary:
Few Jews were permitted to settle in Boechingen before the
French conquest of 1797, and only on the condition that
they pay “protection money.” It was during the early part
of the 19th century that this community of small traders
and cattle dealers managed to form a congregation, a Jewish
school (1813), a mikveh and a prayer hall.
In 1850, when the prayer hall premises were deemed
unsafe, a synagogue—the site also accommodated a school
building and an apartment for the teacher—was built in
Boechingen (70 seats for men, 50 for women). The Jewish
teacher also performed the duties of chazzan and shochet; in
1917, Jacob Possenheime was appointed teacher.
Many Jews left Boechingen after the anti-Jewish boycott
of 1933, so that few Jews were left to witness the destruction
of Pogrom Night, when the synagogue and adjoining
communal buildings were set on fire. Later, on October 22,
1940, the remaining Jews were deported to the concentration
camp in Gurs, France.
A memorial tablet was unveiled at the former synagogue
site in 1997.
Author / Sources: Harold Slutzkin
Sources: EJL, SG-RPS
Sources: EJL, SG-RPS
Located in: rhineland-palatinate