Alzey, Germany

ALZEY, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany. The medieval community established before 1260 was shattered by the Black Death persecutions of 1348-49 and expelled in 1391. Jews returned about 300 years later and their number grew to over 350 in 1861. Mostly successful businessmen, they played an active role in the town’s social and cultural life. The modern community, which embraced religious reform, inaugurated a synagogue in 1854. Owing to the growth of anti-Semitism, the Jewish population declined from 320 in 1910 to 197 in January 1933. From 1924 a branch of the German Zionist Organization gained support. After the Nazis came to power, a boycott campaign forced many Jews to emigrate and less than 100 remained on Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938), in which their synagogue was burned down. The last 41 Jews were deported in 1942-43.