Erlangen
General information: First Jewish presence: 1408; peak Jewish population: 239 in 1890; Jewish population in 1933: 130
Summary:
The Jews of Erlangen established a community and a prayer
hall in 1873, a new prayer hall in 1878 and a cemetery in
1891.
Twelve pupils studied religion in Erlangen in 1933. That
year, the community was operating three Jewish associations
and a kosher canteen for Jewish university students. In 1937,
the diminished community moved to a smaller prayer room
at 5 Einhornstrasse.
On Pogrom Night, rioters wrecked the prayer room and
confiscated its ritual objects and Torah scrolls. All Jews were
arrested that night: the men were held in Nuremberg prison
for six weeks; the women and children were kept in a hostel
for three days. After the men were released, they were forced
to sell their plundered houses for a fraction of their actual
value. In May 1939, the cemetery was destroyed.
Forty-two Erlangen Jews emigrated, 50 relocated
within Germany and eight died in Erlangen (one of whom
committed suicide). In November 1941, six Erlangen Jews
were deported to Riga; and in October 1943, the town’s last
Jewish person, a woman, was deported to Auschwitz. At least
80 Erlangen Jews perished in the Shoah.
In 1983, a memorial stone was unveiled at the cemetery.
The new Jewish community of Erlangen was founded in 1997.
Author / Sources: Magret Liat Wolf
Sources: AJ, PK BAV
Sources: AJ, PK BAV
Located in: bavaria