Binswangen

General information: First Jewish presence: 1525; peak Jewish population: 415 in 1858; Jewish population in 1933: 36
Summary: The Jews of Binswangen established a synagogue in 1609, a cemetery in 1663, a mikveh at some point during the 17th century and a regional rabbinate in 1806, the last of which had ceased to exist by 1881. The community maintained a yeshiva for a brief period during the 19th century, but details about its construction and enrollment are unavailable. In 1933, local Jews employed a teacher and maintained a chevra kadisha and a charitable society. A matzo bakery still did business in Binswangen that year. The cemetery was vandalized in 1938 and in 1942. On the morning after Pogrom Night, SA men and local vandals destroyed the synagogue’s interior, confiscated the Torah scrolls and other valuables, smashed the remaining ritual objects and broke the windows of Jewish stores and several homes. Several Jews were sent to Dachau. The seven Jews who still lived in Binswangen in 1942 were deported: five to Piaski (via Munich), and two to Theresienstadt (also via Munich). At least 38 Binswangen Jews perished in the Shoah. The synagogue building was restored and reopened in 1996. A commemorative stone and a memorial have been unveiled at the cemetery and near a public fountain, respectively.
Author / Sources: Hannah Porat
Sources: AJ, PK-BAV, SG-B
Located in: bavaria