Hattingen

General information: First Jewish presence: 1400; peak Jewish population: 104 in 1924; Jewish population in 1933: 73
Summary: Jews settled in Hattingen in 1400 and lived there peacefully for nearly a century; in 1498, they were prohibited from living in the town. It was not until the early 1800s that this ban was rescinded, as a result of which a proper Jewish community was established in Hattingen. In 1816, this community built a synagogue, a cemetery and a school. The growth of the Jewish population necessitated the construction of a new synagogue. With the help of a local philanthropist who covered the costs of construction, a new synagogue was built in less than a year and inaugurated in 1872. On Pogrom Night, the synagogue was incinerated, but not before the rioters had vandalized the building. As the fire department was under no pressure to respond, several nearby homes also caught fire. The building’s ruins were removed in late 1939. Two memorial plaques—one is located near the former synagogue site, the other at the cemetery—have been unveiled in Hattingen.
Photo: Demolition of the burned ruins of the former synagogue of Hattingen in February 1939. Courtesy of: City Archive of Hattingen.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: LJG, SG-NRW, SIA