Mahnmal Aumunder Synagoge

Shattered fragments. That’s what strikes you first at the Mahnmal Aumunder Synagoge. These bronze shards aren’t random. They echo the violence that ripped through this community. The Mahnmal Aumunder Synagoge memorializes the synagogue that once stood here, at the corner of Neue Straße and An der Aumunder Kirche. Built in 1834, it was a place of worship and community for fifty men on the main floor, with an almemor holding ten Torah scrolls. Fifty women found their place in the gallery above. A mikveh, a classroom, and the caretaker’s apartment completed the building. But on November 10, 1938, this sanctuary was violated. SA-Sturmbannführer Ernst Röschmann ordered its destruction. A small group of SA men began damaging the synagogue around 10 a.m., setting it ablaze between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Photographer Heitkamp documented the horrific act, capturing images of Röschmann and even Mayor Hillmann among the onlookers. The Mahnmal Aumunder Synagoge isn’t just about a building. It’s about the people. Thirty-eight Jewish residents of Aumund, Blumenthal, and Vegesack were deported to Minsk in November 1941, perishing there. In the summer of 1942, more deportations followed, sending elderly members of the community to Theresienstadt. Among them was Jacob Wolff, the longtime leader of the Aumund Jewish community. He died in Theresienstadt. Look closely at the memorial. The three bronze elements by artist Clarissa Dietrich are enlarged replicas of the holes in an earlier memorial plaque. They direct your gaze to the names listed, a stark reminder of the lives lost. The square itself, renamed Jacob-Wolff-Platz in 2005, further honors his memory. The Mahnmal Aumunder Synagoge stands as a testament to a community destroyed, a reminder of the consequences of hatred, and a call to remember.