First Jewish presence: early 13th century; peak Jewish population: 326 in 1880; Jewish population in 1933:156
Two Jewish families moved to Soest in the 16th century, after which the authorities allowed a few others to settle there. Eighteen Jews lived in the city in 1807, but by around 1815, after the restrictions on Jewish residency rights were lifted, 56 Jews had settled in Soest. In 1852, the town was home to 149 Jewish residents. Members of the 19th-century Jewish community, many of whom were successful livestock traders, not only maintained an adult education center and associations for Jewish men and women, but were also active in local non-Jewish associations and on the municipal council. From the 18th century onwards, services were conducted in a private residence. In 1819, however, the community purchased a site on Osthofenstrasse for the construction of a proper synagogue; inaugurated in 1822, the synagogue accommodated 200 seats, an apartment for a teacher, and a school, the last of which was moved to a nearby building in 1858. We also know that in 1882, after the synagogue had been renovated, the old harmonium was replaced with an organ. Soest’s Jewish cemetery was consecrated in 1832. Anti-Semitic violence proliferated after the boycott of April 1, 1933. In 1934, for example, several local Jews—they were accused of insulting the national flag—were draped with anti-Semitic placards and forced to stand on the street. On Pogrom Night, troops of SA and SS men set the synagogue and school on fire. Shops and apartments were severely damaged, and Jewish men were taken into “protective custody” and sent to concentration camps. In 1942, the remaining Jews were forcibly moved into the Weslaner barracks (a designated “Jews’ house”), shortly after which they were deported to the camps in Poland. At least 50 Soest Jews perished in the Shoah. In 1979, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the former synagogue site.Svetlana Frank
Copyright: Pogrom Night 1938 - A Memorial to the Destroyed Synagogues of Germany/ Germansynagogues.com
Notes
Sources: Führer durch die Jüdische Gemeindeverwaltung und Wohlfahrtspflege in Deutschland 1923-1933, Andreas Nachama, Simon Hermann [Eds.], [publisher] Edition Hentrich, 1995., Lexikon der jüdischen Gemeinde in Deutschen Sprachraum, Klaus Dieter-Alicke, [publisher] Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2008., Feuer in dein Heiligtum gelegt: Zerstörte Synagogen 1938 Nordrhein-Westfalen, Michael Brooke [Ed.], Meier Schwarz [foreword], [publisher] Kamp, 1999., Synagogen Internet Archiv, www.synagogen.info
Details
| Date Added | Mar 25, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Category | Residential |
| Country | DE |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| City | Soest (Sosat, Susatum) |
| Exhibits | Pogrom Night 1938 - A Memorial to the Destroyed Synagogues of Germany |
Have additional information, photos, connections, or other resources to contribute?
Help Us in the race against time to time document Jewish history!
