Heerstraße 1
72127 Baden-Württemberg
Germany
The village of Wankheim came into the possession of the barons of Saint-André in the years 1760 and 1765 and thus did not belong to the Duchy of Württemberg. The basic prerequisite for the admission of Jews was thus created. In the surrounding Württemberg, on the other hand, there was a ban on settlement. In 1776, the local rulers decided to initially admit four Jews: David Dessauer, Samuel Levi, Jakob Herz and David Alexander. The new residents were housed in a house completed in 1784, a former barn that was converted by the barons.
The population development of the Jewish inhabitants differs in the parish registers and the customs union and imperial censuses. Therefore at this point only approximations. Accordingly, their number increased from 23 in 1807 to 76 in 1826 to a maximum of about 120 Jewish residents. With about 20 percent, the Jewish share of the Wankheim population was at its highest around the year 1852. In the 1850s, migration began, primarily to Tübingen. In 1850/51, Leopold Hirsch from Wankheim won the right to settle there in court. As a result, the community became increasingly smaller and migrated to Tübingen. In 1880, there were still 10 Jews living in Wankheim, but 123 in neighboring Tübingen. In 1885 only one Jewish woman is recorded for Wankheim.
Initially, the Jewish community gathered in a rented room for worship. Already in 1797 a Torah could be acquired. The community was officially subject to the rabbinate of Mühringen from 1832. However, the Wankheim community had already been served by the rabbi in Mühringen. Finally, on October 15, 1835, a synagogue of its own was inaugurated with about 200 seats. The Wankheim synagogue existed only until 1882. On April 8 of that year, the farewell service was held. The religious seat moved to Tübingen. The building was demolished, parts used for the construction of the synagogue in Tübingen.
.