Kirtorf

Summary: In 1696, local residents complained that noise from the Jewish prayer hall (it was located in a private residence) disturbed services at the nearby church, as did the singing from the annual Sukkot celebrations. The 18th-century Jewish community conducted services in another home. Another fact the records tell us is that the curtain for the Torah Ark was repaired in 1811. Jewish householders engaged in various occupations, mostly cattle and horse trading as well as light farming on the land attached to their homes. Although a house was purchased in 1843 and rebuilt as a synagogue with classrooms and a mikveh, the structure proved to be faulty and was sold at a loss. In 1852, the community purchased another house and rebuilt it to accommodate all these facilities; and in 1901, the community finally built a purpose-built synagogue. Kirtorf was also home to a Jewish school, established there during the early days of the community, whose teacher served as chazzan and shochet. When enrollment numbers dwindled, the teacher supplemented his meager income by instructing children from the adjoining communities. The anti-Jewish boycott of 1933 triggered a wave of emigration. Accordingly, few Jews witnessed the unfolding of Pogrom Night in Kirtorf, when rioters vandalized the synagogue and burned ritual objects in the market square. The remaining 10 Jews were deported in 1942. In 1983, a memorial plaque was unveiled in Kirtorf. Remnants of the synagogue can still be discerned.

Author / Sources: Harold Slutzkin
Sources: AJ, LJG