Eibergen
Eibergen's location on the Dutch-German border made it attractive to German Jewish settlers, who arrived regularly beginning in 1643. In 1786, seven Jewish families in Eibergen paid an annual municipal head tax, the "Jodentribuut" (Jewish Tribute). A Jewish cemetery - referred to by locals as the "Jodenbelt" (Jewish Swath) - was in use prior to 1756. The cemetery was located outside of Eibergen on the Berkel River on the present-day Rekkense Binnenweg. A synagogue existed in Eibergen prior to 1797.
Synagogue in Eibergen, ca. 1960
-G. Hazewinkel
The Eibergen community grew over the first half of the nineteenth century. In 1848, the community built a new synagogue in the middle of the village on the Kleine Hagen. Religious lessons were offered at the synagogue for many years, with only a few brief interruptions. Community organizations in Eibergen included a synagogue council, a study fellowship, and a women's society, which also cared for the synagogue's ceremonial objects.
Portrait of Migels Zion and Betje Gans uit Eibergen, ca. 1900
-part. coll.
Half of the Jews of Eibergen were deported and murdered during the Second World War. The other half managed to survive the war in hiding. The interior of the synagogue was ransacked during the war.
The Eibergen community was administratively disbanded in 1947 and officially merged into that of Borculo. The synagogue building was sold to the municipality and was later razed in 1961. A monument in memory of the deported Jews of Eibergen was unveiled in 1990. The cemetery is maintained by the municipality.
The Jewish population of Eibergen and surroundings:
The size of the Jewish community over time
1797
33
1809
16
1840
52
1869
84
1899
100
1930
42
