Saffig
General information: First Jewish presence: 1587; peak Jewish population: 67 in 1863 (10% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: unknown
Summary: Although the earliest record of a Jewish presence in Saffig
is dated 1587, it is likely that Jews lived there before then.
By 1863, the Jewish population had peaked at 67 (10%
of the total population). Local Jews were members of the
Andernach synagogue community from 1866 until 1878.
In 1858, the Saffig Jewish community built a synagogue
at 3 Kloeppelsberg (present-day Neustrasse). Burials were
conducted at the Jewish cemetery in Meisenheim.
On Pogrom Night (November 1938), SA troops destroyed
the interior of Saffig’s synagogue, broke its windows and
burned most of its ritual objects; one Torah scroll and one
Megillat Esther (Book of Esther) scroll were saved, and are
now kept in New York and Sydney, respectively. In December
1939, the community was forced to sell the synagogue for
270 Reichsmarks, after which the site was used as a shed for
storing tools and other equipment.
In 1942, Saffig’s remaining Jews were deported. At least
six former Jewish residents of Saffig perished in the Shoah.
The synagogue building was declared a historical
monument in 1984. In 1991, the restored building was
opened as a memorial and cultural center.
Author / Sources: Esther Sarah Evans
Sources: AJ, SG-RPS, YV
www.stolpersteine.com
Sources: AJ, SG-RPS, YV
www.stolpersteine.com
Located in: rhineland-palatinate