The synagogue

ImageThe small synagogue in Kleinsteinach was built in 1736. The entrance for the men was on the front right and the entrance for the women was on the left. On the right side of the synagogue there was a wooden house for the hearse.

Since 1736 the Jewish community of Kleinsteinach had a synagogue where they prayed together. The synagogue also served as a meeting house, and a school for the youth. At times it was used to assist the poor and strangers to the community through prayer and hospitality. The synagogue of Kleinsteinach like most synagogues had a podium and an ark to house the torah scrolls. The ark faced Jerusalem. The men and women sat separately. The synagogue was characterized by its simplicity. There were no paintings or statues.

On November 10th 1938, Kristallnacht, the interior of the small synagogue was totally devastated. SS men from the country came to Kleinsteinach and smashed windows and destroyed the furniture. They set fire to the torah scrolls and ritual objects. They would have burned the synagogue down to the ground but it was standing next to Christian homes so a fire would have threatened those homes. Also destoyed on that day was a plaque commemorating 17 Jewish casualties of World War 1.

In the 1950's another misfortune fell on what remained of the Kleinsteinach synagogue. It was struck by lightning and the fire that ensued destroyed what little remained. After the fire the synagogue was totally demolished.

 

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    The Ark and Torah Scrolls in the Kleinsteinach Synagogue

    This valuable photographic material is kept in Israel at Yad Vashem. The photograph is of the interior of the synagogue in Kleinsteinach and dates from about 1936. Before this photo was discovered no image of the interior of the synagogue existed in the district Hassberge. On "Kristallnacht" in 1938 the entire inside of the Kleinsteinach synagogue was completely devastated by the SA paramilitary.

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    The Synagogue Site Today

    Today the site of the Kleinsteinach synagogue serves as a memorial to what was once the center of Jewish life. There remains just a few inches of the stones of the original foundation. A lightning in 1950 and an ensuing fire destroyed what remained after the Nazis destruction on Kristallnacht. A plaque stands at the site which says the following:

    " In Kleinsteinach there was a religious Jewish community, the synagogue was ravaged on November 9, 1938 by the rulers of that time. May this serve to remind and admonish.'