Gaukoenigshofen
General information: First Jewish presence: 1555; peak Jewish population: 108 in 1816 (20% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: 54
Summary:
The Jewish community of Gaukoenigshofen, founded in
the 18th century, established the following institutions: a
synagogue and mikveh in 1768/1769 (rebuilt in 1842 and
renovated in 1929); a new mikveh in 1819; and a community
center—it housed a classroom and living quarters for the
teacher—in 1910. The Jews of Gaukoenigshofen buried their
dead in Allerheim.
Baron Jacob Hirsch, founder of the Hirsch family fortune
and grandfather of the philanthropist Maurice Hirsch, was
born in Gaukoenigshofen in 1765.
In 1933, two chevra kadisha associations and two
charitable organizations were active in Gaukoenigshofen. A
teacher/chazzan instructed eight schoolchildren in religion.
On Pogrom Night, the synagogue’s interior was wrecked
and its furniture and ritual objects were burned; the village
head and former fire chief, however, prevented the synagogue
itself being burned down. Jewish homes, businesses and the
community house were vandalized and looted. Twelve Jewish
men were arrested, beaten and taken to Aub, after which five
were sent to Dachau.
Twenty-two Gaukoenigshofen Jews emigrated and three
relocated within Germany. Twenty-nine, the last, were
deported to the East in 1942. At least 34 local Jews perished
in the Shoah.
In 1988, the restored synagogue was reopened as a
monument. The mikveh and community house were also
preserved.
Author / Sources: Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK BAV
Sources: AJ, EJL, PK BAV
Located in: bavaria