Uerdingen

Summary: Uerdingen, which is now a municipality of Krefeld, was once home to an independent Jewish congregation. We know little about the community’s origins, but records do tell us that Jews were persecuted in Uerdingen during the Black Death pogroms of 1348/49. Records also suggest that communal life was re-established in the early 19th century. In 1841, the Jewish community established a synagogue in the rear section of a building at 6 Bruchstrasse. When Uerdingen was annexed to Krefeld, local Jews actively protested, arguing that their community’s observant members would not be able to walk the greater distance to the synagogue. Their petition was rejected, however, and in 1854 the Uerdingen Jewish community was affiliated with that of Krefeld. On the night of November 9, 1938 (Pogrom Night) the interior of the local Uerdingen synagogue was ravaged and the equipment and furniture were set on fire in the marketplace; several sources claimed that the synagogue was torn down. At the former synagogue building, which has been used as a residence since 1939, a memorial plaque has been unveiled.

Author / Sources: Ruth Martina Trucks
Sources: EJL, LJG, SG-NRW