When most of Germany's synagogues were destroyed on the night between November 9th and November 10th, 1938, a centuries-old tradition of Jewish life in Germany came to an abrupt halt.
The aim of this website, based on the book Pogrom Night 1938 - A Memorial to the Destroyed Synagogues of Germany (ISBN 978-965-555-600-1), is to memorialize this tradition and its more than 1.400 destroyed synagogues and prayer halls, as well as the communities affiliated with them. It documents, in words and photographs, their history, from the beginning through their golden age and until their destruction. This website commemorates the fate of Jews during that night, known as Pogrom Night: that of 30.000 Jewish men sent to concentration camps and of 400 Jews killed.
The institute conducting the research for this work is the Synagogue Memorial "Beit Ashkenaz". It was founded by Prof. em. Dr. Meir Schwarz, an eyewitness of the pogrom in his then-home Nuremberg, in 1985. It is the declared aim of the Jerusalem-based "Beit Ashkenaz" to perpetuate the memory of German Jewry, its members, traditions, achievements as Jews in Germany in science, culture, and social life, communities and synagogues. In addition to various other memorial projects, "Beit Ashkenaz" has published a series of memorial books in German, hitherto consisting os seven volumes. These books, the basis of this website and the affiliated two-volume book, were published in cooperation with German institutions and universities.
This website consists in large parts of the institution's prior findings but also of additional research conducted by German archives and local historians who contributed their knowledge to "Beit Ashkenaz". The project managers were Ms Bronagh Bowerman and Mr Ronen Guttman, who supervised and coordinated the authors and the collection of the photos.
The publication was kindly supported by grants of Allianz SE and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Contact information:
Synagogue Memorial "Beit Ashkenaz"
58 King George St
P.O.B 7440
91073 Jerusalem, Israel
Phone: 00-972-2-6233225
Fax: 00-972-2-6233226
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