Castrop-Rauxel
General information: First Jewish presence: 1699; peak Jewish population: 151 in 1935; Jewish population in 1933: 125 or 160
Summary: The Jewish community of Castrop developed comparatively
late (in the early 19th century), because Castrop was not
located near any prominent trade routes. The Jewish
cemetery and the prayer hall, the latter of which was located
in Joseph Levi’s home on Muensterstasse, were established
in 1743 and 1800, respectively.
Castrop’s Jewish elementary school, which also housed
an apartment for a teacher, was opened in 1839. The school
was moved into the newly built synagogue at Am Ort (or
Schulstrasse, present-day Simon-Cohen-Platz) in 1845; the
timber-framed house of worship was inaugurated—women
sat in a designated gallery—on August 15-17, 1845. Later,
in 1921/22, an apse was added to the building.
Many Castrop Jews prospered during the late 19th century,
enabling the community to establish a sisterhood, a literature
club and youth organizations. Several Jewish communities
eventually merged to form the regional congregation of
Castrop-Rauxel, and by the beginning of the 20th century,
the majority of important businesses in the area were owned
by Jews.
The anti-Jewish boycott of 1933 had little effect in
Castrop-Rauxel. Between 1935 and 1939, however, the
Jewish population decreased by 75 percent.
On Pogrom Night, November 1938, Jewish-owned
stores were vandalized and looted, private residences were
wrecked and Jews were assaulted. SA men from Herne
set fire to the synagogue, after which the city demanded
that the congregation remove the ruins, an obviously
impossible task. The remaining Jews were eventually
moved to designated “Jews’ Houses” and, later, deported.
At least 80 local Jews perished in the Shoah (146 according
to Yad Vashem).
A memorial plaque marks the location of the destroyed
synagogue.

Photo: The synagogue of Castrop-Rauxel after renovations in 1921/22. Courtesy of: City Archive of Castrop-Rauxel.
Author / Sources: Ruth Martina Trucks
Sources: EJL, FJG, LJG, SG-NRW
Sources: EJL, FJG, LJG, SG-NRW
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia