Archshofen

General information: First Jewish presence: 1696; peak Jewish population: 180 in 1870; Jewish population in 1933: 23
Summary: Records from 1696 mention a Jewish presence in Archshofen, but it was only in 1828 that a community, made up largely of middle-class merchants, was established there. A prayer room had existed in the home of one “Simson the Jew” during the early 18th century. In 1741, the congregation moved to a new prayer hall, which was also located in a private residence. Finally, in 1796/97, the community inaugurated a synagogue: A mikveh was installed there in 1821, and we also know that the house of worship was enlarged and renovated in 1865. Archshofen was home to a Jewish elementary school between 1829 and 1910, after which a teacher instructed children in religion. Burials were conducted in Creglingen. In 1933, only 23 Jews lived in Archshofen. The synagogue, closed in the mid-1930s because there were not enough men to make up a minyan, was sold to the village council.Nevertheless, members of the Hitler Youth broke its windows and chandeliers on Pogrom Night. Twelve local Jews managed to emigrate, one relocated within Germany and five died in Archshofen. Five Jews, Archshofen’s last, were deported to Riga (December 1941) and to Theresienstadt (August 1942). At least 26 Archshofen Jews perished in the Shoah. The synagogue building was later used for a variety of civic and social purposes.
Author / Sources: Yehoshua Ahrens; Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-BW
Located in: baden-wuerttemberg