Bosen

First Jewish presence: 17th century; peak Jewish population: 143 in 1849; Jewish population in 1933: 41

The history of Jewish Bosen began in the 17th century, when a Jewish presence was first recorded there. Records from 1769 mention the existence of a prayer room, but we do not know when it was built. The community established a synagogue in 1882, a mikveh (unknown date of construction) and an elementary school in the 1820s. The school was closed down in 1871 as a result of low enrollment numbers, after which the community employed a teacher of religion who also performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. Burials were conducted in Soetern. In 1933, 41 Jews lived in Bosen. A charitable society was active in the community, and seven children studied religion. On Pogrom Night, the synagogue’s interior was destroyed. Jewish men were assaulted, and all remaining Jews (including the women) were forced to desecrate the synagogue and, later, to clean up the site. The building was subsequently sold. In April 1942, 23 Bosen Jews were deported to the East. At least 23 Jews originally from Bosen perished in the Shoah. The synagogue is now an apartment house. Two memorial monuments have been erected in Bosen, one at the former mikveh site.

Nurit Borut

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

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