Braunschweig

Summary: The 14th-century Jewish community of Braunschweig had to contend with two disasters: the Black Death pandemic—50 percent of the community died from the disease—and the ensuing anti-Jewish massacres. A local duke, however, managed to protect a number of Braunschweig Jews from the slaughter. Although we do not know much about the fate of Jewish Braunschweig during the next few centuries, we can trace the emergence of the modern community to the beginning of the 18th century, when the town council remitted the poll tax and appointed a Jew, one Alexander David, as crown agent. Between 1750 and 1760, 12-15 Jewish families moved to Braunschweig. Jews conducted services in a prayer hall, located in David’s home, until the owner’s death in 1765, after which the congregation prayed in a purposebuilt synagogue. Rabbi Levi Eger (1768-1842) introduced Braunschweig Jews to Reform Judaism, and in 1875 the increasingly prosperous community built an impressive synagogue which incorporated both Oriental and Gothic architectural features. As was the case in other professional, middle-class Jewish communities, social activities and organizations abounded in Braunschweig. A cultural and historical society was active in the community, as were a women’s guild, a youth club and the Bar Kochba sports club. Beginning in 1933, right after the Nazis implemented the anti-Jewish boycott, Braunschweig Jews began to leave the community; by 1941, 437 had emigrated from Germany. Large Jewish-owned businesses were Aryanized in 1938, the same year in which Braunschweig Jews of Polish background were deported to Poland. On Pogrom Night (November 1938), the synagogue was vandalized and Jewish men were arrested. Of the 49 Jews, the town’s last, who were later deported, few survived. After the war, a group of Braunschweig Jews and displaced persons returned to Braunschweig and, with the help of the Jewish Overseas Aid Committee, reestablished the community. Ownership of the community house was transferred to the Jewish Trust Committee. Memorial plaques were unveiled at the cemeteries in 1960; that same year, City Hall recorded the wartime memories of Jewish survivors from Braunschweig. A synagogue was later established inside the former community house; by 2001, it had 160 members. In 2006, a new synagogue, designed by architect Klaus Zugermeyer, was inaugurated in Braunschweig.

Author / Sources: Harold Slutzkin
Sources: HNB, LJG