Synagoge Bretzenheim Plaque

Hidden in plain sight, the Synagoge Bretzenheim Plaque whispers stories of a community lost. This plaque, more than just a metal marker, stands as a poignant reminder of the vibrant Jewish life that once thrived in Bretzenheim. The inscription “Hier stand die Synagoge der Jüdischen Gemeinde Bretzenheim” translates to “Here stood the synagogue of the Jewish community of Bretzenheim.” It acknowledges a tragic absence, a void left by the destruction of the synagogue, likely in 1939. We know the stories of some families, like the Zacharias family, whose butcher shop near the synagogue was destroyed during Kristallnacht in 1938. Bernhard and Selma Zacharias were later deported to Piaski/Lublin and murdered. Another family, the Gersons, ran a butcher shop on Zaybachstrasse. Betty and Albert Gerson took over the shop after the death of Jakob Lorch’s wife. Jakob Lorch, facing deportation, tragically took his own life in Darmstadt. The plaque also silently remembers Emil Lorch, a cattle dealer and vice-chairman of the local sports club, TSG 1846 Bretzenheim. Emil, his wife Franziska, their daughter Klara, her husband Theodor Schloss, and their 8-year-old grandson Günther were all deported and murdered in 1942. Only Emil’s daughter Selma escaped, finding refuge in Chile. These individual tragedies, etched in the memory of this plaque, reflect the wider destruction of Jewish life in Bretzenheim. The Synagoge Bretzenheim Plaque serves not only as a memorial but also as a call to remember, to learn, and to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.