Religion

Above the houses of Buttenhausen on the banks of the Lauter river both places of worship stood facing one another. Even though the same psalms were being sung on both sides, the organization and liturgy, prayer and custom in church and synagogue differed immensely.

Synagogue and Jewish house

The Synagogue only partly corresponds to the Christian idea of a place of worship. Synagogue means "place of assembly". It is the place of prayer, public assembly and study, where at least ten Jewish men (13 years or older) must be present for communal worship. The reader reads the weekly segments of the Torah aloud from the pulpit, which is located in the center of the synagogue. Above all, the synagogue is a house of prayer. Every devout Jew possesses a book a prayer (Siddur), from which psalms, hymnal texts, and prayers - some of which are very old - are read during the service.

The household, the domain of the women, is more important for Jewish daily life than the public space of the synagogue, the domain of the men. Daily prayers, feasts, Shabbats, anniversaries and private functions deeply affect Jewish domesticity in the necessity of fulfilling the commandments. Jewish families draw strength from this atmosphere of peace and happiness for both good and hard times.

"Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk". This sentence, which appears three times in the Bible, later became the first of numerous dietary regulations (Kaschrut). Above all, these regulations apply to the preparation and consumption of meats. Those animals which are allowed to be eaten are listed in the Bible. The slaughter (according to religious rites) must be performed in such a way that the animal is immediately numbed and that its blood quickly drains away. Before being cooked the pieces of meat are soaked and salted according to strict rules. It is most important that meat products never come in contact with dairy products. For this reason Jewish kitchens always have two separate sections, both of which are fully equipped.

Lives

On the eighth day of life, male children are circumcised at a festive event. The ceremony ends with the wish that the child may grow up to be "educated, wedded and to perform good deeds". At the age of 13 the Jewish male must prove his accomplishments at his bar mitzvah (son of the commandment), where he demonstrates his religious maturity and from then on is responsible for his own direction.

Weddings are also family celebrations. The Huppah (the canopy of marriage) serves as a symbol for the house and is held over the heads of the bride and groom during the wedding ceremony. The bridegroom places a ring on his bride's finger in front of witnesses as a symbol of the "sanctification", which is endorsed by a sevenfold blessing. The woman is then made responsible for running the household, which also includes adhering to the dietary regulations.

Jewish customs are predominantly related to joyful occasions, but there are also familial rites connected with death. The closest relatives participate in the ritual. They sit in the house of the deceased for seven days. During this time it is common for them to have visitors, who will mourn with them for a period of time. In a circle of ten men the mourners say the "Kaddish", which is not a prayer relating to death but, rather, a hymn praising God.

(This text is an abridged version of the contribution "Religion" in: Jews in Buttenhausen (1994) by Dr. Annemarie Mayer, Tuebingen

English spelling of Hebrew words from "Blackwell Dictionary of Judaica", Oxford 1992)