Online Archive of Synagogues

The construction of the synagogue at 69 Langenstraße was started in 1786. A year later it was consecrated. In 1913 the synagogue was completely rebuilt. The second inauguration took place on September 16, 1913. On that day, the mayor at that time wished that the Jewish inhabitants* of Stralsund may continue to live together with the Christians in peace and solidarity. However, this peace did not last long. On the night of November 9-10, 1938, SA men and Hitler Youth destroyed Jewish stores and homes. They also partially destroyed the synagogue by setting it on fire.

Salomon and Bertha Neisser were one of the founders of the synagogue. The synagogue's pews faced east (oriented toward Jerusalem). Services were held on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. Despite increasing anti-Semitism, the synagogue had been used as a cultural place of religious life until 1938. Although many Jews had already left Oranienburg (1925: 131, 1933: 105, 1939:61). After the Pogrom Night, the Jewish community was forcibly dissolved due to Nazi pressure. The land on which the synagogue stood was leased to the Baptist congregation in 1939.

On June 17, 1903, the former Potsdam synagogue was opened. However, already in 1938 there were the first attacks on the interior of the synagogue. On April 14, 1945, the synagogue roof was destroyed. Until the destruction in the war used as a post office hearing room.

In 1957, the GDR decided to demolish the synagogue. This was because the GDR was not willing to pay the cost of the roof renovation.

A few steps lead to the ritual immersion bath (mikvah) in the basement of the right tower of the synagogue in Oranienburgerstraße. The modern and centrally located mikvah has an anteroom that is used as a waiting room. This is where people prepare for the ritual bath. The  "living" water is supplied to the bath via a tank from the roof that collects rainwater.

In1928 abandonment of services due to lack of members, rented to the Adventist church of Templin

A commemorative plaque was attached to the front building, but is said to no longer exist.

In 1843, the Jewish community, under its then head Max Pfälzer, bought what is now the property at Mittelgasse 16 in the center of Hemsbach.

In 1845, master builder Valentin Fuchs drew up plans for a synagogue with a school, a teacher's apartment and a bathhouse.

The plans were implemented with the construction of the Jewish community center in 1847/48. On the south side of the synagogue courtyard, a bathhouse with a ritual bath was created.

In the first half of the 19th century, the synagogue had become too small for the steadily growing congregation, despite the extensions made. So in the 1840s it was decided to build a new building in place of the previous synagogue in F 2,13. In 1851 the old synagogue was demolished. In July 1851, work began on the new building. Numerous Mannheim and foreign companies were busy with the work, especially the artistic design.

At first there was probably a prayer hall. In 1852 an "old synagogue" and a school are mentioned. They were located in the immediate vicinity of the old Jewish residential area (at the Zehnthof). In 1854 a new synagogue with a schoolhouse next to it was built and solemnly consecrated in the same year. The Jewish community had to raise about 7,000 guilders for the representative building. Around 1860, 45 children were taught in the Jewish school. In the synagogue there was a Torah shrine with six Torah scrolls. During the November pogrom in 1938 the synagogue remained undestroyed.

Note from Prof. Bob Martens, TU Vienna