Goslar

First Jewish presence: 13th century; peak Jewish population: 64 in 1848; Jewish population in 1933: 38

The Jewish community of Goslar, which began to develop in the 17th century, was largely made up of peddlers, moneylenders and, later, merchants and manufacturers. A Jewish cemetery was consecrated on Glockengiesserstrasse in the early 17th century. In 1784, after an older synagogue and mikveh on Piepmaeker Strasse burned down, the community inaugurated a new synagogue—with seven benches for men, two for women—on Baeckerstrasse; the building also housed an apartment for a teacher and a school, the latter of which closed in 1874. Although anti-Semitism was not uncommon in Goslar, Jews were active in the town’s political life. After 1933, however, when the political and social situation became increasingly dire, many Jews left town. On Pogrom Night, members of the SA and of the Nazi party, aided by local residents, broke into and looted Jewish homes and business; the synagogue’s interior was demolished. Local Jews were mistreated and imprisoned, and one died. In 1939, the synagogue and cemetery were sold to the town, the proceeds confiscated. The last Jews of Goslar were deported to concentration camps in 1942 and 1943. At least eight Goslar Jews perished in the Shoah. After World War II, a number of Shoah survivors temporarily settled in Goslar, among them four natives of the town. The synagogue building was pulled down in 1959. A memorial stone was later unveiled in Goslar, and several former Jewish homes bear plaques. An annual memorial tour is held in honor of Goslar’s murdered Jews.

Heike Zaun Goshen

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

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