Synagogue

Initially, the Jews living in Brotdorf attended the synagogue in Merzig. By the first half of the 19th century at the latest, a prayer room had been established in Brotdorf in one of the Jewish houses. When the number of Jewish inhabitants had increased relatively strongly around the middle of the 19th century, the community decided to build a synagogue. The previous prayer hall had become too small. In order to finance the synagogue, a house collection was to be held in other communities in the spring of 1854, but this was rejected.

On the Markenhof estate near Kirchzarten Alexander Moch from Schwanau-Nonnenweier operated a farm since 1919, which also served as a hachshara, i.e. preparation for immigration to Palestine. The Markenhof is considered the "first kibbutz of German Jews" (Ruben Frankenstein). The teaching estate was financed by the Jewish entrepreneur Konrad Goldmann. He also established with his funds a synagogue on the farm, whose windows were designed by Friedrich Adler from Laupheim.

On the facade can still be seen the location of the prayer hall: On the 2nd floor on the left, the higher windows testify to the original prayer hall behind it. According to rabbinic tradition, the Torah should be placed at the highest point in the house. The attic above it was not to be used. 

The former synagogue in the Bopfingen sub-community of Oberdorf is now a listed building. After it was built on the foundation walls of a previous building, the building served for over 100 years as a house of prayer for the Jewish community of Oberdorf. At times the community was so important in Oberdorf that a rabbinate was established there in 1823. Oberdorf was the 8th of a total of 13 rabbinate seats in Wuerttemberg and united the Jewish communities of Aufhausen, Lauchheim and Pflaumloch. The rabbinate had over 1000 members.