Gauersheim Synagogue
"In 1768, the community established its first synagogue on present-day Friedhofstrasse...Although plans for the construction of a new synagogue and school were made in 1824, they never materialized. Instead, the original synagogue’s chairs were replaced by benches in 1865; further improvements were made in 1877, and the end result was a women’s balcony with 23 seats and a main sanctuary with 40 seats for men. A fireplace was added in 1906. During the 19th century, the community employed a teacher who also served as chazzan and shochet... All religious services ceased after 1933...Although the synagogue was no longer in use, its windows were smashed in 1937. The synagogue’s roof was destroyed on Pogrom Night, the interior demolished. Gauersheim’s Jewish community was later forced to sell the synagogue’s ruins to the local authorities; the sale covered the cost, for which the Jews had been billed, of clearing the debris. The building was demolished in 1939/40."
Bronagh Bowerman
Copyright: Pogrom Night 1938 - A Memorial to the Destroyed Synagogues of Germany/ Germansynagogues.com
Notes
Sources: Alemannia Judaica, www.alemannia-judaica.de Führer durch die Jüdische Gemeindeverwaltung und Wohlfahrtspflege in Deutschland 1923-1933, Andreas Nachama, Simon Hermann [Eds.], [publisher] Edition Hentrich, 1995., “und dies ist die Pforte des Himmels”: Synagogen Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland, Will Schmid, Stefan Fischbach and Ingrid Westerhoff [Eds.], publication initiated by Joachim Glatz and Meier Schwarz, [publisher] Phillipp Von Zabern, 2005.
Details
| Date Added | Apr 20, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Category | Synagogue |
| Country | DE |
| State | Rhineland-Palatinate |
| City | Gauersheim |
| Exhibits | Pogrom Night 1938 - A Memorial to the Destroyed Synagogues of Germany |
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