After Hamm fell to Prussia in 1815, the Jewish residents of the town gradually enjoyed equal civil rights. In addition to the abolition of Jewish extra taxes, there was also no longer a need for a settlement permit, which until then had limited the number of local Jews. In 1816 a prayer house was built in Hamm, which was also used by Jews from the surrounding villages. There was a women’s gallery here, but no school and no mikveh. From 1891 there were efforts in Hamm to build a representative synagogue that offered the growing community enough space.
The synagogue with its Moorish stylistic elements such as spiers, battlements and differently colored brick segments was finally inaugurated on August 17, 1894 by the Cologne Rabbi Dr. Abraham Frank. The celebrations, in which all citizens of Hamm took part, lasted three days. At that time, almost 100 Jews lived in the village, which made up about 7.5% of the total population and was thus well above the average of about 1.2% in the German Reich.
Timeline Rosbach/Sieg
- ↑ Foundation of the “Chevre Kedische” association in Ruppichteroth – December 22, 1900
- ↓ Letter of protection for the Jew Lazarus from Hamm on Sieg – January 1, 1661