Borken
General information: First Jewish presence: 1530; peak Jewish population: 108 in 1919; Jewish population in 1933:102
Summary:
One Jewish family moved to Borken in 1327, but it was not
until 1530 that a considerable Jewish presence established
itself in the town. Jews were expelled from Borken in 1558,
and did not return until 1816. Two years later, in 1818,
they established a synagogue in the wing of an abandoned
monastery. A new synagogue, housing a school and a mikveh,
was inaugurated in 1897.
On Pogrom Night, SA and SS men stormed the synagogue,
removed the Torah scrolls and other holy books and arranged
them in a neat pile in the synagogue’s courtyard. After burning
the pile, they proceeded to burn down the synagogue. Local
Jews were lined up in the street, where they were mocked and
threatened.
The remains of the synagogue were destroyed during a
bombing raid; later, a new building was constructed on the
site. No memorial exists on the site, but one was erected nearby.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Sources: LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia