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Religious Affiliation by % in 1933

The first Jews settled in Flonheim not later than 1650. In 1786 a synagogue was inaugurated, and approximately in 1830 the community opened a cemetery. The Jews of nearby Ufhofen and Bornheim also had their own cemeteries. These communities were dismantled in the 19^th century. The last burial on the Bornheim cemetery took place in 1864.

In 1882 a German grocer, who was sued in the past by a Jewish merchant, approached his opponent who was sitting in a local pub, and announced that the fate of the Jews here would be similar to the fate of their brothers in Russia, the pogroms victims, and that he is heading a group of 25 men ready to start this job immediately. The grocer followed the Jew out of the pub, and hit him a deadly stroke on his head. Afterwards he demanded from all present to leave the body on the street and to start a pogrom against the rest of the Jews. This event evoked a public turmoil and was publicized in many newspapers. Many Christians participated at the funeral, among them the head of the village.

The community of Flonheim was part of the Alzey (see entry) rabbinate. In 1928 the synagogue was refurbished and inaugurated by the district Rabbi. On the eve of the Nazi rise to power Julius Braun headed the community. The local Chevra Kadisha (Jewish burial society) was headed by Jacob Wolff. The annual budget of the community was 800 Mark. The community had kosher slaughter. Its seven children attended religious lessons given by the teacher Stern from Alzey.

Most of Flonheim's Jews were shop owners, cattle traders and butchers.

In the September 14, 1930 Reichstag elections the Nazis received 35.9 % of the local votes (twice as much as in all of Hessen); The Social Democrats got 37.4 %. On the Landtag elections of 19.6.1932 the Nazis got 52.9% (in Hessen- 44%).

In 1936 the interior of the synagogue was set on fire and Torah scrolls were stolen. At noon on November 10, 1938, a group of civilian-dressed SA members arrived in Flonheim and, assisted by locals who joined them, shattered with a pick- axe and axes the synagogue windows and furniture. Because the synagogue was in the vicinity of the house of one of the rioters, they avoided setting it on fire. With the help of the locals they also located the houses of the local Jews and caused heavy damage to flats and their contents. The looting and destruction went on through all afternoon hours, and stopped only in the evening.

After the Kristallnacht (Crystal Night) the synagogue was sold to a private person and converted to agricultural use.

Twenty persons of the community immigrated to the USA and six more Jews left there after moving to Frankfurt first; another Jew went to Israel, and the immigration targets of three persons are not known to us. Among the immigrants to the USA were also the head of the community Braun and his family. The rest moved to various locations in Germany (12 of them to Mainz; the last 5 – in 1940 and in 1941). Nine Jews were expelled from other towns in Germany to camps and perished.

In 1950 14 of the Kristallnacht rioters in Flonheim and some other communities in the region were brought to trial at the District Court in Mainz. Two were sentenced to nine and eight months in prison, four were found not guilty, and the legal procedures against other eight were terminated.

Today the local authority cares for the Jewish cemetery (about 700 square meters).

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