Guldenthal
General information: First Jewish presence: early 1800s; peak Jewish population: 50 in 1858; Jewish population in 1933: 26
Summary:
In the mid-1800s, Jews from the small villages of Heddesheim
and Guldenthal/Waldhilbersheim founded a Jewish
community. Religious services were conducted in a rented
room in Guldenthal—less than ideal accommodation, for
the room often became overcrowded—until 1910, when the
community purchased an inexpensive house and converted
it into a synagogue; a modest building, it did not require
much renovation. The inauguration ceremony was attended
by local dignitaries.
On Pogrom Night, the interior of the synagogue was
plundered and destroyed: windows were smashed; doors were
broken down; Torah scrolls were ripped into shreds; silver
goblets, candelabra, and ornaments were destroyed; and the
ark, pulpit, benches and furniture were broken.
In 1939, the building was sold to a neighboring resident
who bricked up the windows and used the site as a storage
facility. The town of Guldenthal took over the building in
1994, after which it was classified as a memorial site.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: AJ, EJL, SG-RPS
Sources: AJ, EJL, SG-RPS
Located in: rhineland-palatinate