Save the synagogue from Weißenfels

Geschichte

It is not too late:

Save the synagogue!

According to the Internet the title would be invalid. It would already be too late and the synagogue of Weißenfels wouldn’t exist anymore. For both Wikipedia and the “Stadtportal Weißenfels” (city portal for Weißenfels) you can read:

“Die Synagoge in der Nordstraße 14 wurde zerstört.“ (“The synagogue in the Nordstraße 14 was destroyed.")

Yes it’s true, the entire interior of the prayer and assembly house of the small Jewish community was destroyed and ransacked in the so-called “Kristallnacht” in 1938. The only building that remains to the present, owes its survival to be placed in the back yard.

The one-storey house in the back yard of the Nordstraße is battered from years in the GDR, where there was a workshop used by the Water management of the city. They didn’t care about the historical value of this site. Only the bricked arches above the windows give an idea of the character which this ancient religious site once had.

And yet here we have a stony witness of Weißenfels’ town history. Without its Jewish inhabitants, the cultural and economic development of the city would have been impossible. The former synagogue belongs to Weißenfels as its castle, the Novalis House or the Heinrich-Schütz-Haus.

To preserve this authentic building, the last sign of Jewish life in Weißenfels, the Simon Rau - Zentrum was founded, whose objective it is to create a place for remembrance and commemoration of the former Jewish life in the city.

Without prompt actions the synagogue will get ruinous or imminent destruction is expected. In September last year demolition plans was only prevented by the prompt intervention of members from the Simon Rau - Zentrum.

So that the sentence: “destroyed synagogue in the Nordstraße 14”, doesn’t become harsh reality, the Simon Rau- Zentrum needs the support of all those who recon that it is important to preserve this place, especially in a part of Germany where increasing anti-semitic tendencies are observed. For instance – shortly after the inauguration of the historical path – there was a destroyed, and later stolen, memorial tablet in front of the synagogue and an attempt from unknown people to remove a “Stolperstein” (stumbling stone) in Weißenfels.

Therefore the Simon Rau- Zentrum begs you to save the synagogue of Weißenfels as much as you can. Draw attention of this problem to your environment, contact the Mayor of Weißenfels or transfer a donation to the Account (account no. 300 010 6099, banc no. 800 530 000, Sparkasse Burgenlandkreis, keyword: “save the synagogue” or “Rettet die Synagoge”) Do not let that which has not happened in November 1938, occur in 2011. Every dedicated action can save the synagogue from final destruction.

The board of the Simon Rau-Zenrum e. V.

It is not too late:

Save the synagogue!