Bocholt
General information: First Jewish presence: 1654; peak Jewish population: 296 in 1905; Jewish population in 1933: 220
Summary:
In 1667, a considerable number of Jews settled in Bocholt.
The community established its first synagogue in 1683, albeit
illegally, in a private residence. The local magistrate shut it
down after discovering its existence.
The synagogue reopened a few years later, and remained in
use until 1747, when the authorities once again shut it down.
Finally, in 1798, after years of negotiations, Jews were granted
permission to build a synagogue on condition that it would
be modest and inconspicuous, and would not stand directly
on the street— therefore the new house of worship was built
behind an apartment building. We also know that the synagogue
housed a mikveh, and that a school was later built on the site.
By the late 1800s, the Jewish community of Bocholt
was the largest in west Muensterland (northwest Germany,
bordering the Netherlands).
On Pogrom Night, SS and SA troops marched into the
center of the town and split into two groups: One group
set out to vandalize Jewish homes and businesses while
the other set its sights on the synagogue. The latter, after
breaking the doors and smashing the windows of the
synagogue, vandalized the interior and then proceeded to
burn the ritual objects. Although the synagogue was set on
fire, the fire department, fearing the possibility of damage
to the surrounding buildings, extinguished the blaze. After
Pogrom Night, a furniture manufacturer used the building
as a storage site until it was destroyed in a bombing raid.
Shortly after the war, a memorial plaque was unveiled at
the Jewish cemetery; and in 1988 a plaque was unveiled at
the synagogue site.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Sources: LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia