Hattingen
General information: First Jewish presence: 1400; peak Jewish population: 104 in 1924; Jewish population in 1933: 73
Summary: Jews settled in Hattingen in 1400 and lived there peacefully
for nearly a century; in 1498, they were prohibited from
living in the town. It was not until the early 1800s that
this ban was rescinded, as a result of which a proper Jewish
community was established in Hattingen. In 1816, this
community built a synagogue, a cemetery and a school.
The growth of the Jewish population necessitated the
construction of a new synagogue. With the help of a local
philanthropist who covered the costs of construction, a new
synagogue was built in less than a year and inaugurated in
1872.
On Pogrom Night, the synagogue was incinerated, but
not before the rioters had vandalized the building. As the
fire department was under no pressure to respond, several
nearby homes also caught fire. The building’s ruins were
removed in late 1939. Two memorial plaques—one is located near the former
synagogue site, the other at the cemetery—have been
unveiled in Hattingen.
Photo: Demolition of the burned ruins of the former synagogue of Hattingen in February 1939. Courtesy of: City Archive of Hattingen.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Sources: LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia