Synagogue (Hemsbach)

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Synagogue in Hemsbach
Synagogue portal

The synagogue in Hemsbach , a town in the Rhein-Neckar district in northern Baden-Württemberg , was built in 1847/48. The derelict synagogue is a protected cultural monument .

history

In 1843, the Jewish community of Hemsbach bought the property at Mittelgasse 16. In 1847/49 , the Jewish community center with synagogue and school was created according to the plans of the master builder Valentin Fuchs (1813–1850), a pupil of Heinrich Hübsch (1795–1863) , Teacher's apartment and a bathhouse ( mikveh ) were built. The building in the arched style consists of a two-storey main building, in the eastern part of which there is the prayer room with a women's gallery . Above the arch of the portal is an inscription in Hebrew , a quote from the 1st Book of Kings ( 1 Kings 8,38-39  EU ): “Every prayer and supplication of every single person who perceives and the need of his heart recognize, and raise his hands to this house, you hear that in heaven, the place where you live, forgive and carry it out ”. The bath house was built on the south side of the synagogue courtyard. Carl Mayer von Rothschild donated a considerable amount to the construction of the synagogue. In return, his family was given a place of honor in the new synagogue. When the community still had considerable debts around 1850, this was largely taken over by Baron von Rothschild.

In 1895 a fire broke out in an agricultural property in the neighborhood, which also severely damaged the synagogue. A new roof structure had to be built.

National Socialist Persecution

During the November pogrom in 1938 , on November 10th , foreign SA men detonated a charge in the synagogue, thus devastating the synagogue. Neighbors, who feared the flames would spread to other buildings, prevented the building from being set on fire. The synagogue was repurposed and used as a storage room during the Second World War .

Todays use

After 1945 the synagogue served as accommodation for refugee families and from 1960 to 1984 social housing was set up in the building complex. The former prayer room was completely changed with partition walls and false ceilings. In 1981 the city acquired the former synagogue and in 1982 it was entered in the monument book as a cultural monument of special importance . In 1984 the Friends of the Former Synagogue in Hemsbach e. V. , who supported the restoration work under the architect Friedrich Reidel. The work was completed in autumn 1987 with the renovation of the bath house. The aim of the work was to restore the old condition of the building as much as possible.

On September 14, 1987, the restored synagogue was opened to the public again. The prayer room is now used for cultural events. The former bath house has become a memorial for the former Jewish community . Among other things, there are also memorial plaques with the names of the Hemsbach Jews who perished in the extermination camps.

See also

literature

  • Klaus-Dieter Alicke: Lexicon of the Jewish communities in the German-speaking area. Volume 2: Großbock - Ochtendung. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2008, ISBN 978-3-579-08078-9 ( online version ).
  • Joachim Hahn and Jürgen Krüger : Synagogues in Baden-Württemberg . Volume 2: Joachim Hahn: Places and Facilities . Theiss, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1843-5 , pp. 199-200 ( Memorial book of the synagogues in Germany . Volume 4).

Web links

Commons : Synagoge (Hemsbach)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 49 ° 35 ′ 25.3 "  N , 8 ° 39 ′ 21.8"  E