Idar Oberstein, Germany

Idar-Oberstein Oldenburg, Germany. First mentioned in the 16th century, the Oberstein community at¬tracted Jews expelled from Rhine towns and, while governed by the margrave of Baden, opened a syna¬gogue in 1784. Numbering 68 in 1808, the Jews of Oberstein and Idar established a communal union. When those in Idar threatened to secede, Hanau's chief rabbi, Shim¬shon Felsenstein, reunited the community in 1834. Jews promoted new trades and industries (e.g., foot¬wear, jewelry, textiles), and from 75 in 1865 their num¬ber grew to 151 in 1872. To¬ward the end of the century, the members began to drift away from Orthodoxy. Branches of the Central Union (C.V.), the Jewish Women's League, and the German Zionist Organization were active before WWI. The Jewish population rose to 192 in 1910. During the Weimar Republic, the community declined to 129 in 1930 and the rate of intermarriage rose. Jewish cultural and social life intensified during the Nazi period. On Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938) Jewish men aged 18-60 were detained. Storm troopers looted and destroyed the synagogue, vandalized Jewish property, and savagely beat Jews. Emigration acceler¬ated with about 20 leaving for England, 12 for the U.S., eight for Palestine, and six (including a couple from Tiefenstein) for the Far East. Of the 34 Jews who remained in Idar, one committed suicide and 25 were deported (1940-45). Almost all perished in Auschwitz, the Theresienstadt ghetto, and other Nazi camps.