Max Gabbe opened the Berlin department store in 1903. In 1932 he was second chairman of the Jüdische Gemeinde. 

Siedmund Eichenbronner was the first chairman of the Jewish community in 1932.

To take care of religious tasks of the community was in the time of the 19th / 20th century no own teacher employed. Rather, an external teacher came regularly to the community. The Jewish community, which called itself "Jüdische Religionsvereinigung e.V." (Jewish Religious Association), belonged to the State Rabbinate of Saxony-Weimer-Eisenach with headquarters in Eisenach.  To teach the then five Jewish children came around 1924 teacher Jungmann from Gotha weekly in the community.

In the 16th century Jewish inhabitants are mentioned several times between 1508 and 1565 (in 1508 Jud Jarow is mentioned by name). In 1555, the letters of protection of the Jews living in the county of Henneberg were no longer renewed, which led to their expulsion until 1566. 
Presumably the Jewish settlement of the 16th century was remembered for a long time by the "Judentor", from which the still in the 19th century so-called "Jüdengasse" (since 1860 "Bergstraße", later "Weimarer Straße") led to the market.

In 1933, Bankhaus Strupp was nationalized and the Old Synagogue adjacent to the bank building was forcibly demolished.  

Until the beginning of the 19th century, a prayer hall or synagogue was present in each case (e.g. mentioned in 1737 in connection with the formula for the Jewish oath). On August 30, 1811 a synagogue could be consecrated at the western city wall. The ducal court factor Levi Simon had given the money for it and initially purchased two plots of land in the area of Untere Marktstraße with the then census numbers 22 and 23. The inauguration took place with the permission of Duke Frederick. The inauguration speech was held by Josef Michael Hirsch.

A Jewish cemetery was established in Heiligenstadt in the first half of the 19th century. The oldest grave is from 1829. The last burial in the Nazi period was in 1940. Possibly there was also still a burial in 1947  (Pauline Löwenstein in a grave without preserved inscription).  
The cemetery is surrounded by a plain wooden fence.    

In the 19th century, the congregation's services were initially held in rented rooms. In 1870, the congregation purchased a house in Stubenstraße and converted it into a synagogue. Master builder Fütterer initially planned a representative appearance for the front façade. However, since no subsidies came from the government, the plan could not be executed. The synagogue was built in 1872/73 and consecrated on September 10, 1873.

Jacob Schwalbe was the third chairman of the Jewish Community Representative Office in 1932. After the November pogrom in 1938, he was deported to Buchenwald concentration camp.