Hamm
General information: First Jewish presence: 1296 bzw. 1327; peak Jewish population: 433 in 1933, or 402 in 1911; Jewish population in 1933: 433
Summary:
Jewish presence was first documented in a Hebrew document
from 1296: It mentions two Jewish refugees from the town
who were killed, probably on Anti-Semitic grounds. In
1327, Bishop Gottfried von Osnabrück granted Jews the
right to settle in Hamm. This right, however, was limited to
wealthy Jews only, as it was depended on a very expensive
“Schutzbrief” (letter of protection) by local authorities.
The few Jews living in Hamm were mainly money lenders.
They were repeatedly victims of pogroms, and often killed
and expelled, as in 1350, when the Bubonic Plague broke
out in Hamm, and Jews were accused of well poisoning.
During few times in the following centuries, Jewish presence
in Hamm was prohibited by law.
This changed with Friedrich Willhelm I, King of Prussia,
in the 18th century, who granted Jews resident rights in his
jurisdiction, including Hamm. The community established
a Jewish school in 1722, and a synagogue in 1768 (location
unknown). With its growing membership, it temporarily
employed Rabbis, and inaugurated a new synagogue 1868
at Kleine Weststrasse. After having to give up the protected
14th century Jewish burial grounds in 1850, the community
buried their deaths at a new cemetery at Ostentor.
With the Nazis coming to power, there were Anti-
Semitic attacks on Jews and Jewish properties, as early as
1933. The boycott of Jewish stores was enforced in Hamm,
and a number of Jewish professionals were prohibited from
working in their fields. So-called “Ostjuden”, Jews from
Eastern Europe living in Germany, were expelled from
Hamm in 1938.
On Pogrom Night, the synagogue was destroyed, but not
burned down, due to its proximity to neighboring buildings.
The Jewish community had to pay for the damages. It was
ultimately demolished at the end of 1938. The homes of Jews
were destroyed, and Jews physically attacked. The Heymanfamily
was murdered.
According to an information plaque at the city museum,
200-300 Jews from Hamm were able to flee abroad in the years
following. The rest were deported and murdered by the Nazis.
Only a few Jews returned to Hamm after the war. The
community dissolved in 1953, and the remaining Jews joined
the Jewish community of Dortmund. There is a memorial
plaque next to the former synagogue.
Author / Sources: Benjamin Rosendahl
Sources: AJ, EJL
Sources: AJ, EJL
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia