An award-winning citizens’ association has purchased and taken possession of the decaying, half-timbered former synagogue and adjacent teacher’s house and mikvah in the village of Harmuthsachsen, in north central Germany, with the aim of making the buildings accessible to the public for commemoration, educational work and guided tours.
The Association of Friends of Jewish Life in the Werra-Meißner District was able to purchase the buildings for €30,000, thanks to an interest-free loan from the Werra-Meißner Protestant Church District, the Association’s chairman, Dr. Martin Arnold, told JHE by email.
More than 50 people including local VIPs as well as a representative of the monuments protection authority came to an informal “unlocking” of the synagogue held last week to toast taking possession of the building, Arnold said. He said an official opening will be held at a later date.
The synagogue was converted from a barn and inaugurated in 1833. It is listed as a protected monument, and it underwent restoration in the 1990s, even winning the Hesse region preservation prize in 2004. The private owner, however, carried out no maintenance and kept the building closed to the public.
“The Harmuthsachsen synagogue had been closed for 20 years because the private owner had forbidden access,” Arnold said.
“With the purchase, we also assume responsibility for the maintenance of the building,” he said.
Further funds are required for urgent maintenance measures, for which we are also dependent on donations. In future, we would like to use the synagogue as a place of remembrance for the descendants of Jewish families, as a meeting place for people from different cultures and as a place of learning for future generations.
He said future plans could include:
- Guided tours on the history of the synagogue and the Jewish community of Harmuthsachsen
- Temporary exhibitions on topics relating to Jewish life in the area of today’s Werra-Meißner district
- Summer concerts and readings in the synagogue
- Opening and guided tours on “Open Monument Day”
The synagogue is one of the few surviving synagogue buildings in the Werra-Meißner region, where there were once 14 Jewish communities. Most of the synagogues were either destroyed by the Nazis or converted out of recognition for other use.
Arnold said that descendants of Jewish families from Harmuthsachsen and other Jewish communities in the Werra-Meißner district frequently search for traces of their ancestors.
He said family historians and roots-seekers are welcome to be in contact with the Association, which can serve as “as a point of contact and knowledgeable guide to the sites of Jewish life in the Werra-Meißner district.”
Contact:
Friends of Jewish Life in the Werra-Meißner District
Dr. Martin Arnold
Am Werrauferpark 2
37269 Eschwege
Tel. 049-5651-339281
[email protected]
In 2021 the Friends Association and the Aufwind Mental Health Association were co-recipients of a Hesse Preservation Prize for their joint work in restoring the 19th century former synagogue in the town of Abterode and transforming it into a place of education, commemoration, and social action. The ground floor of the former synagogue houses a shop that provides jobs for mentally disabled people, and the upper floor is a learning and memorial center focusing on local Jewish history.
Read our post from December 2021 about the Association’s hopes for the building
Click here for information on how to donate to the synagogue’s restoration and operation
1 comment on “Germany Update: Civic Association purchases and takes possession of the former synagogue in Harmuthsachsen. It will become a memorial, cultural, and education site”
This is a great step forward for this area! Mazel Tov!