Laupheim, Germany

An early Jewish settlement apparently ended in the Black Death persecutions of 1348-49. The settlement was renewed in 1742 under various disabilities and grew to be the largest in Wuerttemberg in 1856 with a Jewish population of 796 despite large-scale emigration to the U.S. (balanced by an influx from other communities). Jews were a dominant factor in the trade in hops and leather and in the course of the 19th century, became active in banking and industry, owning textile, wood-processing, and wig factories. The town's first printing press was set up by a Jew in 1844 and a disproportionate number of Jews were university graduates, mainly in medicine and law. Relations with the local population were generally satisfactory, with Jews serving on the municipal council after receiving civil rights in 1869. The first synagogue was founded in 1822. After 1869, when the Jewish population reached a peak of 852 (of a total 3,800), the number of Jews declined steadily. In 1933 it stood at 231, suffering severe persecution and economic boycott throughout the Nazi era. On “Kristallnacht” (9 10 November 1938), the synagogue was set on fire and nearly 40 Jews were interned in the Dachau concentration camp. By 1938 most Jewish businesses had been closed or "Aryanized". Many were able to emigrate through the efforts of former townsman Carl Laemmle (1867-1939), founder of Universal Studios in Hollywood. In all, at least 134 left Germany; another 74 were expelled to their deaths in the Riga ghetto in late 1941 and to the Theresienstadt ghetto in August 1942. A refugee camp was set up in the town after the war, accommodating 2,000 Jews by 1948 when it was dismantled and the Jews emigrated to Israel.