Hohebach
General information: First Jewish presence: 14th century; peak Jewish population: 181 in 1858; Jewish population in 1933: 32
Summary: Jews were banished from this village during the Black
Death pogroms of 1348/1349. Although they were
permitted to resettle there in 1637, they belonged
to the Ailringe community until 1817, when the
independent Jewish community of Hohebach was
founded.
The synagogue on Rathausstrasse, a simple prayer
room, was established in the 17th century. The first
proper synagogue was built in 1817; in 1840, it was
replaced by a new building with a classroom and a
teacher’s apartment. The community established a
mikveh in 1828, a cemetery in 1852 and a school in
1828 (the school shut down in 1925).
Thirty-two Jews lived in Hohebach in 1933. They
maintained a chevra kadisha, a women’s association
and several charities. A teacher from Kuenzelsau instructed four children. The synagogue was damaged heavily on Pogrom
Night: the interior was destroyed, and the ritual
objects, holy books, eight Torah scrolls, carpets
and curtains were taken away and set on fire.
In total, 17 Hohebach Jews emigrated, three
relocated within Germany, five died in Hohebach
and eight were deported in 1941/42: three to Riga,
three to Izbica and two to Theresienstadt. At least
24 Hohebach Jews perished in the Shoah.
In 1945, the synagogue building housed
German refugees. A plaque was placed outside
the building in 1986.
Photo: View of the Mittlere Gasse, where the synagogue of Hohebach was located (the synagogue is on the left hand side), probably before 1900. Courtesy of: Unknown.
Author / Sources: Heike Zaun Goshen
Sources: AJ, IAJGS, PK-BW, SG-BW
Sources: AJ, IAJGS, PK-BW, SG-BW
Located in: baden-wuerttemberg