Can you feel the weight of history here at the Mahnmal Hörder Synagoge? This memorial marks a place of both community and devastating loss. It stands as a stark reminder of a vibrant Jewish community that once thrived in Hörde.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on the story of the Mahnmal Hörder Synagoge. For centuries, Jewish families lived and contributed to Hörde. Around 1780, nine Jewish families formed a community. Before a proper synagogue existed, they gathered for services in private homes.
By 1818, the community purchased a house to use as a synagogue. This building was on the corner of Lange Strasse and Goldstrasse. As the Jewish population grew, a new, larger synagogue became necessary.
In 1898 and 1899, the community built a magnificent new synagogue. It stood on Victoriastrasse, now Semerteichstrasse. In January 1900, Rabbi Abraham Frank from Cologne consecrated the new synagogue. The synagogue even had an organ. The beautiful synagogue was renovated in 1929. The interior got splendid paintings.
But the rise of Nazism cast a dark shadow. Before the horrors of Kristallnacht, the synagogue suffered desecration. Then came November 1938. SA troops set the Mahnmal Hörder Synagoge ablaze during Pogrom Night. Jewish homes and businesses in Hörde were vandalized. The ruins of the synagogue were torn down around 1940. The Jewish cemetery was also largely destroyed.
From 1942, the Nazis deported the Jews of Hörde to concentration camps. At least 43 people from Hörde were murdered in the Shoah.
Today, the site is a residential building. But there is a memorial plaque unveiled in 1982. Later, a commemorative stele was erected. The steel stele bears a powerful inscription. It reads: “For centuries, Jews lived together with us. Near this place stood their synagogue. From 1933-1945, they were also here, degraded, expelled, deported, and murdered, only because they were Jews. We must never allow this to happen again!”
The Mahnmal Hörder Synagoge serves as a constant reminder. It urges us to remember the past and stand against intolerance. The Mahnmal Hörder Synagoge is not just a monument. It is a call to action.