Guerzenich
General information: First Jewish presence: 1653; peak Jewish population: 58 in 1895; Jewish population in 1933: 50
Summary:
The Jewish population of Guerzenich grew steadily during
the first half of the 19th century, soon after which, in 1858,
an official Jewish community was established in the town.
Guerzenich’s first prayer room, established in a private
residence—the owners had bequeathed the property to the
Jewish community—was used until the early 20th century, by
which point the structure had reached a dangerous state of
dilapidation. Finally, in 1906, the community inaugurated
a new synagogue.
On Pogrom Night, when the local fire brigade forbade
the incineration of the synagogue, Nazi hoodlums were
forced to limit their violence to wrecking the building and
desecrating its ritual objects. The building was torn down
one month later.
A small memorial plaque has been unveiled near the
former synagogue site.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: EJL, LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Sources: EJL, LJG, SG-NRW, SIA
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia