Gross-Freden

First Jewish presence: 18th century; peak Jewish population: 65 in 1854; Jewish population in 1933: see below

The Jewish community of Gross Freden, of which Jews from Klein Freden and other neighboring villages were members, was largely made up of peddlers, horse traders, butchers and, later, merchants and shopkeepers. In 1858, an older prayer room was replaced by a synagogue—with 50 seats—on Ostenbergstrasse. The community consecrated a cemetery on An der Steingrube in 1890, and we also know that beginning in the early 19th century, Gross Freden was home to a Jewish school whose teachers changed frequently. In 1933, two Jews lived in Gross Freden and 15 in Klein Freden, after which many Jews left the area. In March 1938, the synagogue was sold to an undisclosed buyer; and in October 1938, the cemetery was sold to the Jewish community in Hildesheim. On Pogrom Night, Gross Freden’s remaining Jews were attacked and arrested. Members of the SA threw a burning bale of straw into the former synagogue, but the new owner intervened and prevented the destruction of his property. Jewish homes and properties were damaged and looted by the SA and local citizens. In 1941, a Jewish women in Klein Freden committed suicide. The town’s last Jews were deported to concentration camps in 1942. At least ten Jews from Gross and Klein Freden perished in the Shoah. Gross Freden’s former synagogue was remodeled into a residential building in 1940.

Heike Zaun Goshen

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

 

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