Goslar
General information: First Jewish presence: 13th century; peak Jewish population: 64 in 1848; Jewish population in 1933: 38
Summary:
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.