In the 1980s, the East Berlin Jewish community increasingly brought forward the idea of establishing a Jewish museum on the site of the New Synagogue. In the run-up to the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the November pogroms, foreign policy considerations in particular led to the establishment of the New Synagogue Berlin – Centrum […]
Installation of a commemorative plaque
On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the November pogrom, a commemorative plaque was placed in the “House of the Island,” which bears the following dedication: In memory of the Jewish citizens of the city of Norderney, who died a violent death or were expelled by National Socialist terror. To the living as a […]
Twin cities Solingen and Ness Ziona, Israel, and the foundation of the project group Jewish Cemetery
In 1987, the Alexander Coppel Comprehensive School (formerly the Solingen Municipal Comprehensive School) assumed sponsorship of the Jewish Cemetery. Since March 1988, a project group has maintained the gravesites and the grounds on Estherweg. In this way, hundreds of students have already become acquainted with the history and culture of the former Jewish community. The […]
Approaching the former state – reconstruction of the interior
In 1986, the Torah roll shrine, the women’s gallery, and the tracery of the windows were reconstructed according to historical photographs; the false ceiling was removed and hanging lamps replicated: The architecture once again became visible to some extent. In Essen, as in all of Germany, the number of Jews increased fourfold after 1989 due […]
The Old Synagogue becomes a “memorial site”
In 1980, following a fire in the industrial design exhibition, the Old Synagogue was established as a “place of remembrance and commemoration.” A first exhibition on the theme of “resistance against fascism” was presented, albeit without reference to the history of the building. The first director, however, established contacts with Jewish emigrants, whom the city […]
Founding of the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Center
Through their remarkable activism and remembrance efforts, Montreal survivors established the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Center on September 9, 1979. This organisation educates the public about the dangers of hatred, antisemitism, racism, and indifference. Between 1947 and 1955, over 35,000 Holocaust survivors settled in Canada, mostly in Montreal. As they rebuild their lives, they were compelled […]
Renaming of Max Leven Gasse in Solingen
On the basis of a citizens’ petition, the Solingen-Mitte district council decided to rename Hohe Gasse as Max Leven Gasse in memory of the former cultural critic of the newspaper Bergische Arbeiterstimme, who was shot here in the pogrom night, and whose fate was in danger of being forgotten. The decision was not a foregone […]
First solemn vigil to commemorate the November pogrom in Solingen
On June 8, 1978, the Solingen City Council resolved to hold a commemorative vigil with the Jewish studies scholar and historian Prof. Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich on the fortieth anniversary of the pogrom night. In November 1978, an exhibition of the city archive on the NS regime was presented in Solingen. On November 9, 1978, a memorial […]
The “House of Industrial Form” in the former synagogue
From 1960 to 1979—the period of the Wirtschaftswunder or “economic miracle”—the City of Essen exhibited chairs, fabrics, and lamps at the so-called “House of Industrial Form.” The women’s gallery and the Torah roll shrine are torn down and a false ceiling inserted, so that the cupola was no longer visible. A part of the city’s […]
The burnt-out synagogue building is falling into disrepair
After 1938, the synagogue was a burnt-out ruin with window cavities in the middle of the city. In 1953, the property is transferred to the Jewish Trust Corporation, the legal successor organization for abandoned Jewish community property in the British Zone. Stones fell from the façade. Between 1949 and 1959, the postwar community of roughly […]
Verdict against the NS perpetrators of the pogrom night in Solingen
Six months after a criminal complaint was filed on August 24, 1946, initial investigations were initiated against the perpetrators of the November 1938 pogroms. In February 1947, the Communist newspaper Freiheit pointed out in an article titled “The Murderer Is Among Us” that one of the men who had been involved in the murder of […]