The Jews of Erstein were not allowed to settle in the city until 1850. Some were allowed to work there during the day, but had to return in the evening to the towns in the region that were more open to Jewish emancipation.
The synagogue was inaugurated in 1882. It was destroyed in April 1941 by the Nazis, its contents auctioned off at that time. Of the 100 Jews living in Erstein in 1939, only 60 were still present at the Liberation.
The place of worship was not rebuilt until 1957 and is still in use, albeit in a limited way, today. A certain amount of Jewish life was thus maintained in the 1960s, but gradually the number of worshipers diminished.
The Jewish cemetery was established in 1904 on the road to Osthouse.
On 29 July 2025, the Grand Ried tourist office organised a visit to the Erstein synagogue to raise awareness of Jewish rituals among local residents.
A square named after Huguette-Henriette-Metzger was unveiled in front of the synagogue, in tribute to this young girl born in Erstein in 1931, who was deported and killed in Auschwitz in 1944.
Sources : judaisme.sdv.fr, dna.fr