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In the past, each German town had at least one synagogue. Tragically, the only thing left of many of them is a plaque marking the location and commemorating the victims.
This is the location of Potsdam's Old Synagogue, once the center of a thriving Jewish community in the Prussian capital.
Potsdam's first synagogue was built in 1768 at Wilhelm's Square. It has been depicted in a painting by J.F. Mayer in 1773.
In 1802, when the Jewish community of Potsdam consisted of 32 families, this synagogue was remodeled. Less than 100 years later, in 1895, the community had grown to 489 members and it was decided to completely rebuild the synagogue. The new building had 154 seats for men, 162 seats for women and six seats for officials.
During the Pogroms of November 1938, the interior was completely demolished, but in order to protect the neighboring post office building, the mob refrained from burning the building. Instead, it was added to the post office. But then, during an air raid on April 14, 1945, the building was bombed and completely destroyed. Later, in 1954, it was demolished and replaced by an apartment building.
There is a plaque at the building, reading,
This was the location of Potsdam's Synagogue. In the night from November 9 to November 10, 1938, it was ransacked and destroyed by fascists.
As a member of Germany's post-war generation, I feel a responsibility to keep these memories alive and hope this waymark will contribute to that.
Today, Potsdam's Jewish community consists of about 800 people and plans are underway to build a New Synagogue which is going to be dedicated in 2012. To distinguish the new building from the old one, the name "Old Synagogue" became common for the original, destroyed building.
The pictures to the right show the synagogue in 1773, 1903 and 1938. Picture sources are provided in the picture gallery.
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