Jews are first mentioned in the area in the 13th century. With the city's expansion in the mid-19th century, the number of Jews rose from 19 in 1805 to 750 in 1869. At the time of the Nazi takeover in 1933, there were about 4,500 Jews in the city. By May, 1939, there were only 1,600 Jews left in the city. Most of these remaining Jews did not survive the war. After the war, the Jewish community was reestablished, and by 1970, there were about 170 Jews living in the city.
Depicted in the postcards below is the Steelerstrasse Synagogue which was completed in 1914. The synagogue, designed by Edmund Korner, was the subject of lavish praise by architects and critics for its design and adaptation to a difficult site. It was considered the first modern synagogue in Germany. Also, the interior was considered one of the most beautiful in Germany. This interior was destroyed during Kristallnacht. After the war, the Jewish community was too small to repair the synagogue. The building became an industrial museum, but in 1979, the site became a memorial.
Carole Herselle Krinsky, Synagogues of Europe, P.285-88
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Copyright © 1998-99 Edward Victor
