Hesse, Germany

The State of Hesse is in western Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country’s principal financial centre. Two other major historic cities are Darmstadt and Kassel.

Background

Jewish communities in Hesse existed by the late 12th century, with a flourishing presence in numerous towns by the 14th century.

Many Jewish residents in Hesse, like Jews elsewhere in Germany, were integrated into German society and contributed to various aspects of German life, including social, political, artistic, and economic fields.

Despite their integration, Jewish residents in Hesse, like those elsewhere in Germany, faced rising antisemitism and persecution in the lead-up to and during the Nazi era.

Third Reich

^{Deportation of the Jews of Fulda 8 December 1941}

After the Kristallnacht November pogrom of 1938, the Jews of the rural communities of Hesse were forced to move to larger towns. From there, they were deported to ghettos in eastern Europe.

Members of the Boys lived in Fulda, 100km northeast of Frankfurt am Main. There were 1,058 Jews in Fulda in June 1933, this number had fallen to 415 by May 1939. The yeshivah in Fulda remained open until 1939. The Jews of Fulda were deported to Riga, Lublin and Theresienstadt in 1941.

The Story of the Boys’ Families: The Birnbaum Family