Jewish Life

Jewish Cemetery

It is not known when the Jewish community set up this cemetery. It is generally assumed, however, that the construction was finished in 1700 at the latest, since the oldest gravestone with a legible inscription dates back to 1712. The cemetery is first mentioned in a document dating from 1718. At this time, the residents of Deidesheim preferred to pay 5 guilders and bury their dead relatives in the small graveyard of the Catholic church instead of taking them to the new cemetery outside of town next to the “Jewish field.”

Through the centuries, the design of the cemetery has changed constantly. The earlier gravestones are normally short and very thick. They are followed by thinner gravestones, which are still quite short. From the mid-19th century onwards, monuments of a considerable height were erected, their structure and their neo-Gothic elements resembling the design of their Christian counterparts. The inscriptions also hint at the age of the respective gravestones. The older ones feature Hebrew epitaphs while the names of the deceased are also shown in German writing on more recent gravestones. However, in the beginning, these German writings are only found on the rear of the gravestones. Later, they were also put on the front side, and in the end, Hebrew epitaphs were not used at all. The selection of the gravestones and the use of German inscriptions clearly illustrate the emancipation and assimilation of the Jewish inhabitants. Just like in so many other places, the cemetery was desecrated in 1938 and restored after the Second World War only 8 years later. However, since 1945 there have been burials held there. The cemetery is owned by the Town of Deidesheim and has been listed on a historic register since 1988.
Location: Near the Platanenweg in the west of Deidesheim

Kulturhaus am Schloßpark - Former Synagogue

The old synagogue of the Jewish community, dating back to the 14th century, was located at the village green, today’s Marktplatz, right next to the bishop’s castle. During the persecution at the Time of the Plague (1349) the community was completely exterminated. It is not known when the Jews returned to Deidesheim. We also do not know if they had a new synagogue and where it was located. A document from 1817 states that the community, comprising of 48 people, had a synagogue located on the second floor of a back building of the Feis family estate. It is probable that the synagogue was erected as a replacement for an older building after the destruction of the town on 26th September 1689. In the mid-19th century, however, it was in such a bad condition that the community was forced to build another synagogue. So the community members decided to acquire a garden in the moat, today’s Bahnhofstraße, and an adjacent property. The plastered building was finished in 1851/1852; the Deidesheim synagogue is a square, hip-roofed building with 2 x 3 meter, round-arched windows on a base of big sandstone ashlars. The inner hall’s multi-profiled cornice is based on plain, stuccoed pilaster strips. Because of its bad condition, the building had to be renovated in 1905. It was very difficult for the community to finance this project. In 1926 it was impossible for the community to fund the necessary exterior and interior renovations since there were only 12 members left. That is why the building was sold in 1935. Because the new owner used the old synagogue as a garage, it was spared destruction on Pogrom Night on 10th November 1938. Today, the building is property of the Town of Deidesheim, which is also responsible for its renovation, and it is used as a center for cultural events.

The Jewish Community

There was already a Jewish community in Deidesheim as early as in the first half of the 14th century. However, due to the persecution during the Time of the Plague (1349), this community was soon exterminated. It is assumed that the medieval community was quite large or wealthy, since it had to pay a considerable annual amount of 9 pounds imperial taxes in 1309. The synagogue was located at the market place and most of the community members probably lived in the northern Hauptstraße (between Marktplatz and Stadtmauergasse). It was not to be until the 17th century that new Jewish families would settle in Deidesheim again. In 1696 there were around “40 Jewish souls” in Deidesheim; in 1787 there were only 21. However, the Jewish community existed until the 1920s. In 1935, the synagogue was purchased by a private non-Jewish owner and was therefore not destroyed in the Pogrom Night of 10th November 1938. In 1940, the last family that was still living in Deidesheim was deported to Gurs in France.