Binau
General information: First Jewish presence: late 1700s or early 1800s; peak Jewish population: 146 in 1839; Jewish population in 1933: 20
Summary:
This community, which belonged to the regional rabbinate
of Mosbach from 1827 onwards, built a synagogue with
living quarters and a mikveh in 1790. It was during the 18th
century, too, that a cemetery was consecrated in Binau. The
school for religious studies (1835-1875) was presided over by
a local teacher who was a ritual slaughterer and cantor; later,
this post was filled by a teacher from out of town.
In 1933, 20 Jews lived in Binau. A teacher from
Heinsheim instructed three children in religion, and a
women’s association organized charitable activities. Local
Jews did not at first suffer from the Nazis’ anti-Jewish
boycott: It was not until 1936, in fact, that the authorities
shut down Jewish-owned businesses, after which Jews had to
live on their savings or work as agricultural laborers. Seven
Binau Jews immigrated to the United States that same year.
On Pogrom Night, the synagogue interior was destroyed
and five Jewish men were sent to Dachau. Afterwards,
three Jews emigrated and another three relocated within
Germany. On October 22, 1940, the remaining seven Jews
were deported to the Gurs camp in France. At least 11 Binau
Jews perished in the Shoah.
Converted into a post office after the war, the former
synagogue is now a residential building (7 Reichenbucher
Strasse).
Author / Sources: Maren Cohen
Sources: AJ, EJL
Sources: AJ, EJL
Located in: baden-wuerttemberg