Seesen

First Jewish presence: 15th century; peak Jewish population: 209 in 1895; Jewish population in 1933: 44

In 1895, when this Jewish community recorded its peak population figure, most Seesen Jews were cattle traders, textile merchants and butchers. Established in Seesen in 1801, the Jacobs School, which offered religious studies and vocational training, enrolled Jewish and, later, Christian children from poor families (including those from out of town); the first girl was accepted in 1909. The Jewish community established a cemetery on Dehnestrasse in 1805; a synagogue, built on the school’s premises, in 1810; a mikveh in 1827; a separate school for religious studies—the teacher also served as the shochet and chazzan—in 1819; and, finally, a Jewish orphanage in 1851. Several Jewish associations (including a branch of the Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith) were active in the community. In 1933, 44 Jews still lived in Seesen, of whom 60% subsequently left town. The orphanage and, later, the cemetery were sold. On Pogrom Night, the synagogue and a Jewish-owned department store were burned down; Jewish homes were searched by members of the SS. Male Jews were arrested, and the head of the community was killed. In 1944, the state appropriated the synagogue site. Between 60 and 80 Jewish displaced persons lived in Seesen after the war, and the re-established Jewish community was compensated for the loss of the synagogue. A memorial stone, commemorating the former Jewish community and its leader, has been unveiled in Seesen. At least ten Jews from Seesen died in the Shoah.

Heike Zaun Goshen

Copyright: Pogrom Night 1938 - A Memorial to the Destroyed Synagogues of Germany/ Germansynagogues.com

---