Sommerhausen

Summary: Sommerhausen’s old synagogue was demolished in 1705. A new synagogue was built in 1745, but in 1819 the community decided to replace the older structure with another synagogue at 100 Hetchegasse (later 2 Casparigasse). The new house of worship contained a classroom and an apartment for a teacher, who also performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. The Sommerhausen mikveh, which the authorities closed down for sanitary reasons for the first time in 1832 (it reopened) and again in 1843, was eventually refurbished. View of the Torah Ark in the synagogue of Sondershausen. Courtesy of: Town Archive of Sondershausen Sommerhausen Jews used the cemeteries in Allersheim and Roedelsee. The community dwindled steadily during the early 20th century, and in 1928 the synagogue ceased to offer regular services. In June 1938, when only six Jews lived in the village, the community was dissolved. Although the synagogue had been converted into a grain store, its windows were nevertheless broken on Pogrom Night. Sommerhausen’s remaining Jewish homes were ransacked. Ten Sommerhausen Jews emigrated, nine relocated within Germany and three died in Sommerhausen (one committed suicide). The village’s last two Jews, both women, moved to Wuerzburg in February 1941. At least 36 Sommerhausen Jews perished in the Shoah. After 1941, the former synagogue was used as a warehouse and as living quarters for working women. In 1953, the building was converted into a church, to which a memorial plaque has been affixed.

Author / Sources: Nurit Borut
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK-BAV