Wuerzburg, Germany

Jews are first mentioned around 1100 and probably included refugees from the Rhineland massacres of the First Crusade (1096). The community grew in importance and prosperity in the first half of the 12th century but suffered with the rest of the Jewish communities in South Germany during the Second Crusade (1147) as Crusaders murdered 17 Jews, including the community's three rabbis. Jews were attacked in the Third Crusade as well (1188) but managed to escape to the local castle. A synagogue is first mentioned in 1170. From 1247 the Jews were under the protection of a bishop, who vied with the local municipality for the right to impose taxes on them. Like most of the Jews of Germany at the time, the Jews of Wuerzburg engaged primarily in money lending and money changing. Wuerzburg was also an important spiritual center with many illustrious rabbis, attracting students from all over Germany and beyond. The community ended in the Rindfleisch massacres of 1298 when 900 Jews were massacred in a single day. Survivors revived the community. Jews were again threatened in a well-poisoning libel during the Black Death persecutions of 1348-49 and in the face of the impending pogrom chose to burn themselves alive in their homes. By 1377 the community was again established. In 1411 the Jews received new privileges, giving them greater freedom in trade. However, toward the end of the 15th century, further restrictions and renewed persecution reduced the number of Jews in the community and in 1559 a general expulsion order was issued by Emperor Ferdinand I. The modern community was founded in the 19th century, after the annexation of Wuerzburg to Bavaria in 1803. In 1819, university students provoked a series of anti-Jewish Hep! Hep! riots that spread beyond Franconia. Jewish stores were looted, Jews were beaten, and a few were killed. In the aftermath many Jews were expelled from the city. The Jewish population rose from 1,099 in 1867 to 2,567 (total 75,499) in 1900. A second synagogue for East European Jews residing in Wuerzburg was consecrated in 1924. Despite the increasing anti-Semitism in Bavaria after WWI, four Jews were elected to the municipal council of Wuerzburg in 1919 and one was elected mayor. Jewish social and cultural life was lively and a large number of Jews studied at the university. In 1933, the Jewish population was 2,145 (total 101,003), subsequently augmented by refugees. The Wuerzburg district rabbinate encompassed 18 communities, seven charitable organizations were in operation, and the Zionists including Mizrachi the Central Union (C.V.), and various youth movements were active. Attacks on Jews commenced in the first days of Nazi rule when Jews were beaten, cars impounded, and stores closed. The economic boycott quickly undermined Jewish livelihoods. In 1935, Jewish stores were looted and Jews again beaten while three big Jewish factories were “Aryanized”. On “Kristallnacht” (9-10 November 1938), nearly a thousand SA troops gathered in the city and proceeded to destroy Jewish homes, stealing valuables in the process. Stores were also pillaged and the two synagogues wrecked. Nearly 300 Jews were sent to the Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps for detention. In early 1942, the remaining Jews were evicted from their houses and packed into a building at the Jewish cemetery. Jews transported to Wuerzburg from other communities in Franconia were housed in the Jewish hospital. All adults were subjected to forced labor. Until the liquidation of the community commenced, 1.649 Jews managed to emigrate from Germany. Another 667 left for other German cities. Deportations commenced on 27. November 1941, when 202 Jews were sent to the Riga ghetto via Nuremberg; 1.191 Jews were sent to Izbica in the Lublin district (Poland) in March and April 1942 and 739 were sent to the Theresienstadt ghetto in September. A final seven were sent to Theresienstadt on 17 June 1943 with another 57 going to Auschwitz. Of the total 2.196 deported Jews, 1.494 were Jewish refugees from other localities. After the war, 52 Jews returned and reestablished the community.