Grevenbroich
General information: First Jewish presence: 1096; peak Jewish population: 94 in 1910; Jewish population in 1933: 73
Summary:
After being forced out of Cologne in 1096, Jews fled to
Grevenbroich. A considerable Jewish presence, however, was
not established there until 1848, when the Grevenbroich
Jewish community was founded. An article, written by the
mayor in 1816, revealed that one of the city’s buildings had
been used as a synagogue 150 to 200 years earlier. Accordingly,
the Jewish community claimed the building, renovated it and
converted it into a synagogue. Viewed from the outside,
the building looked more like an apartment block than
a synagogue. It was also used by the kosher butcher, who
converted the rear of the building into a slaughterhouse.
Although the mayor prevented the SS from burning
down the synagogue on Pogrom Night, the men nevertheless
destroyed its interior and threw the ritual articles onto the
street. The building was eventually destroyed in a bombing
raid. Today, the site is an open area; a memorial plaque has
been erected there.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: EJL, LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Sources: EJL, LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia