Skip to website content >

The Jewish Community of Gehrden-Ronnenberg

Gehrden-Ronnenberg

A town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

First presence: 18th century; peak Jew. pop.: 110 - 1861 (Gehr.), 36 - 1925 (Ronnenb.); Jewish population 1933: 15 - Gehrden, approx. 25 - Ronnenberg

The Jews of Gehrden-Ronnenberg were predominantly traders (of cattle, leather, wool, textiles and grain) and butchers. Beginning in the mid-1700s, the Gehrden community conducted burials on the outskirts of town (on Koetherberge); the Ronnenberg community, however, maintained its own cemetery. In Gehrden, the community established a synagogue and a school in the early 19th century. Later, in 1850, a new house of worship—the site also included a mikveh, a school and an apartment for a teacher who served as shochet and chazzan—was erected on Steinweg; non-Jewish residents of Gehrden attended the dedication ceremony. Gehrden’s synagogue closed in or around 1920 because community membership was dwindling. The school building was sold and converted into a store; and in 1930, the former synagogue was converted into a residential building. According to records, a Jewish woman served on the local board of the Red Cross in the early 1930s. Jewish property was damaged on Pogrom Night (Nov. 9, 1938), and the former synagogue was vandalized, its windows broken. Jewish men were arrested, after which many left town. By 1939, in fact, only eight Jews lived in Gehrden and one in Ronnenberg. Restored in 1953, the cemetery has since been repeatedly desecrated. The synagogue building was pulled down in 1979; a memorial plaque was affixed to the new building erected in its place. At least 17 Jews from Gehrden and 15 from Ronnenberg died in the Shoah.

-----------------------------------------------------

This entry was originally published on Beit Ashkenaz - Destroyed German Synagogues and Communities website and contributed to the Database of the Museum of the Jewish People courtesy of Beit Ashkenaz.

Lower Saxony

Niedersachsen

A Land (state) in northwest Germany bordering the North Sea. 

Hannover

A city and the capital and largest city of the state of Lower Saxony, Germany.

21ST CENTURY

Hanover is home to three synagogues, two Reform, Synagogue Etz Chaim and Liberale Judische Gemeinde; and one traditional, Hanover Synagogue. The European Center for Jewish Music is also located in Hanover.

The Jewish community has approximately 3,000 members and has continued to grow through the 21st century.

HISTORY

Sources dating from 1292 note the presence of Jews in Hanover's old city (Altstadt). Because this period was one in which the city expanded significantly, Jewish moneylenders were welcomed and promised protection by the city council; indeed, a municipal law from 1303 prohibited anyone from mistreating the city’s Jews "by word or deed.” By 1340 the Jewish community was also granted permission to practice kosher butchery.

Nonetheless, during the period of anti-Jewish violence that broke out against Jews throughout Europe in the wake of the Black Death (1348-1349), the Jews were expelled from the city. Between 1369 and 1371 only one Jew lived in Hanover until he, too, was expelled by the council. It was only in 1375 that the dukes who were in charge of the city granted the city the ability to readmit Jews and levy taxes on them. By 1540 there were three Jewish families living in the old city, and five in the new. The growing community also maintained a synagogue and a rabbi.

Although the Jews were permitted to resettle in Hanover, they were still, however, subject to a number of discriminatory rules. Since 1451 they were required to wear a badge that signified that they were Jewish. Additionally, beginning in 1553 the Jews were forced to listed to the court minister Urbanus Rhegius preach in their synagogue.  In fact, between 1553 and 1601 the city’s dukes issued six orders of expulsion against the Jews, but they were either revoked or not carried out; for a long time the Jews were also not allowed to live in the old city. In addition, in 1588 the council forbade all business connections with Jews. The process of community growth alongside persecution continued during the 17th century. In 1608 the six Jewish families living in the new city opened a synagogue. That synagogue was destroyed, however, in 1613 by the city’s residents.

There was progress however, and community growth, particularly during the 18th century. The dukes allowed several wealthy Jews to live in the new city. The court Jew, Leffmann Behrens, established a synagogue in his home in 1704, and advocated for a rabbinate to be founded in the Duchy of Hanover. In 1710 there were seven Jewish families living in the city, but as the century went on, through the 19th century, the Jewish population increased considerably, reaching 537 in 1833.

Hanover became an important center of Jewish learning, as well as the home of several important Jewish figures from the world of finance. The community built a larger synagogue in 1870, which was subsequently expanded in 1900. Hanover became a center for Hebrew printing; among the significant works published in Hanover’s Hebrew press was Jacob B. Asher’s (also known as the Ba’al HaTurim) commentary on the Torha. The Hebraist Solomon Frensdorff led a teacher’s seminary between 1848 and 1880. Another school that functioned in the city between 1893 and 1942 focused on teaching gardening, in particular growing fruits and vegetables.

Prominent rabbis who were active in Hanover included Nathan Adler (1831-1845) and Selig Gronemann (1844-1918).

The Jewish population grew significantly between the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1861 Hanover’s Jews numbered 1,120 (1.9% of the total population). By 1880 that number had grown to 3,450 (2.8% of the total). In 1910 the number of Jews living in Hanover was 5,130 (1.7%). During the interwar period, however, the population began to decline, mostly due to immigration; the rate of immigration increased significantly, however, after the Nazi rise to power in 1933. In 1933 Hanover’s Jewish population was 4,839 (1.1%). By 1939 it had dropped to 2,271 (0.5%). Nonetheless, on the eve of World War II (1939-1945) Hanover was home to one of the ten largest Jewish communities in Germany, with over 20 active cultural and welfare institutions.

THE HOLOCAUST

Hanover’s Jewish community, like Jewish communities throughout Germany, were targeted for persecution after the Nazi’s took power. In response, the community intensified its Jewish educational programming, with a particular focus on the youth organizations, and prepared residents for immigration.

The destruction of the community began in earnest in 1938 when the synagogues were destroyed and Jews terrorized. Later, between 1941 and 1945 approximately 2,900 Jews were deported from Hanover to concentration camps.

POSTWAR

After the war 66 survivors from the prewar community returned to the city. Together with survivors from other areas who decided to settle in Hanover, they helped reestablish Hanover’s Jewish community. By 1966 there were 450 Jews living in the city (0.03% of the total population). A new synagogue opened in 1963.

Pattensen

A town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

First Jewish presence: 1350; peak Jewish population: 82 in 1885; Jewish population in 1933: 19

The modern Jewish community of Pattensen was established in the first half of the 19th century. In 1858, the community replaced an older synagogue (built in or around the year 1816) with a new house of worship on Hofstrasse; the new synagogue also housed an elementary school and a mikveh. The Jews of Pattensen maintained two cemeteries: one on Goettinger Strasse (established in 1815), the other on Auf dem Lehmkuhlen (1861). In February 1930, eight schoolchildren attended the Jewish school, which closed down in July of that year. Nineteen Jews lived in Pattensen in 1933. Six pupils received religious instruction, and a shochet was employed. A women’s association (established in 1890), a men’s organization (founded in 1890 or 1900) and a branch of the Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith were active in Pattensen that year. As early as 1929, Jewish residents were insulted and physically attacked. The old cemetery was leveled in November 1938. On Pogrom Night (Nov. 9, 1938), SA men destroyed the synagogue, desecrated the cemeteries and broke windows in Jewish homes. Ten men were sent to Buchenwald (via Hanover); they returned in January 1939, but two died later that year. On the morning after Pogrom Night (November 10), Jewish men were forced to step on and destroy Torah scrolls. Approximately 16 Pattensen Jews emigrated or moved to other German cities during the years 1934 to 1938. In 1942, the remaining nine Jews were deported to Trawniki/ Warsaw and to Theresienstadt Nazi concentration camp. At least 19 Pattensen Jews perished in the Shoah. A memorial stone was unveiled at the former synagogue site in the 1980s. The Auf dem Lehmkuhlen cemetery was desecrated in 1968 and again in 1979. We also know that memorial plaques were unveiled at the St. Lucas Lutheran Church and at the Jewish cemetery.

____________________________________________

This entry was originally published on Beit Ashkenaz - Destroyed German Synagogues and Communities website and contributed to the Database of the Museum of the Jewish People courtesy of Beit Ashkenaz.

ANU Databases
Jewish Genealogy
Family Names
Jewish Communities
Visual Documentation
Jewish Music Center
Place
אA
אA
אA
The Jewish Community of Gehrden-Ronnenberg

Gehrden-Ronnenberg

A town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

First presence: 18th century; peak Jew. pop.: 110 - 1861 (Gehr.), 36 - 1925 (Ronnenb.); Jewish population 1933: 15 - Gehrden, approx. 25 - Ronnenberg

The Jews of Gehrden-Ronnenberg were predominantly traders (of cattle, leather, wool, textiles and grain) and butchers. Beginning in the mid-1700s, the Gehrden community conducted burials on the outskirts of town (on Koetherberge); the Ronnenberg community, however, maintained its own cemetery. In Gehrden, the community established a synagogue and a school in the early 19th century. Later, in 1850, a new house of worship—the site also included a mikveh, a school and an apartment for a teacher who served as shochet and chazzan—was erected on Steinweg; non-Jewish residents of Gehrden attended the dedication ceremony. Gehrden’s synagogue closed in or around 1920 because community membership was dwindling. The school building was sold and converted into a store; and in 1930, the former synagogue was converted into a residential building. According to records, a Jewish woman served on the local board of the Red Cross in the early 1930s. Jewish property was damaged on Pogrom Night (Nov. 9, 1938), and the former synagogue was vandalized, its windows broken. Jewish men were arrested, after which many left town. By 1939, in fact, only eight Jews lived in Gehrden and one in Ronnenberg. Restored in 1953, the cemetery has since been repeatedly desecrated. The synagogue building was pulled down in 1979; a memorial plaque was affixed to the new building erected in its place. At least 17 Jews from Gehrden and 15 from Ronnenberg died in the Shoah.

-----------------------------------------------------

This entry was originally published on Beit Ashkenaz - Destroyed German Synagogues and Communities website and contributed to the Database of the Museum of the Jewish People courtesy of Beit Ashkenaz.

Written by researchers of ANU Museum of the Jewish People

Lower Saxony - Niedersachsen

Lower Saxony

Niedersachsen

A Land (state) in northwest Germany bordering the North Sea. 

Hanover

Hannover

A city and the capital and largest city of the state of Lower Saxony, Germany.

21ST CENTURY

Hanover is home to three synagogues, two Reform, Synagogue Etz Chaim and Liberale Judische Gemeinde; and one traditional, Hanover Synagogue. The European Center for Jewish Music is also located in Hanover.

The Jewish community has approximately 3,000 members and has continued to grow through the 21st century.

HISTORY

Sources dating from 1292 note the presence of Jews in Hanover's old city (Altstadt). Because this period was one in which the city expanded significantly, Jewish moneylenders were welcomed and promised protection by the city council; indeed, a municipal law from 1303 prohibited anyone from mistreating the city’s Jews "by word or deed.” By 1340 the Jewish community was also granted permission to practice kosher butchery.

Nonetheless, during the period of anti-Jewish violence that broke out against Jews throughout Europe in the wake of the Black Death (1348-1349), the Jews were expelled from the city. Between 1369 and 1371 only one Jew lived in Hanover until he, too, was expelled by the council. It was only in 1375 that the dukes who were in charge of the city granted the city the ability to readmit Jews and levy taxes on them. By 1540 there were three Jewish families living in the old city, and five in the new. The growing community also maintained a synagogue and a rabbi.

Although the Jews were permitted to resettle in Hanover, they were still, however, subject to a number of discriminatory rules. Since 1451 they were required to wear a badge that signified that they were Jewish. Additionally, beginning in 1553 the Jews were forced to listed to the court minister Urbanus Rhegius preach in their synagogue.  In fact, between 1553 and 1601 the city’s dukes issued six orders of expulsion against the Jews, but they were either revoked or not carried out; for a long time the Jews were also not allowed to live in the old city. In addition, in 1588 the council forbade all business connections with Jews. The process of community growth alongside persecution continued during the 17th century. In 1608 the six Jewish families living in the new city opened a synagogue. That synagogue was destroyed, however, in 1613 by the city’s residents.

There was progress however, and community growth, particularly during the 18th century. The dukes allowed several wealthy Jews to live in the new city. The court Jew, Leffmann Behrens, established a synagogue in his home in 1704, and advocated for a rabbinate to be founded in the Duchy of Hanover. In 1710 there were seven Jewish families living in the city, but as the century went on, through the 19th century, the Jewish population increased considerably, reaching 537 in 1833.

Hanover became an important center of Jewish learning, as well as the home of several important Jewish figures from the world of finance. The community built a larger synagogue in 1870, which was subsequently expanded in 1900. Hanover became a center for Hebrew printing; among the significant works published in Hanover’s Hebrew press was Jacob B. Asher’s (also known as the Ba’al HaTurim) commentary on the Torha. The Hebraist Solomon Frensdorff led a teacher’s seminary between 1848 and 1880. Another school that functioned in the city between 1893 and 1942 focused on teaching gardening, in particular growing fruits and vegetables.

Prominent rabbis who were active in Hanover included Nathan Adler (1831-1845) and Selig Gronemann (1844-1918).

The Jewish population grew significantly between the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1861 Hanover’s Jews numbered 1,120 (1.9% of the total population). By 1880 that number had grown to 3,450 (2.8% of the total). In 1910 the number of Jews living in Hanover was 5,130 (1.7%). During the interwar period, however, the population began to decline, mostly due to immigration; the rate of immigration increased significantly, however, after the Nazi rise to power in 1933. In 1933 Hanover’s Jewish population was 4,839 (1.1%). By 1939 it had dropped to 2,271 (0.5%). Nonetheless, on the eve of World War II (1939-1945) Hanover was home to one of the ten largest Jewish communities in Germany, with over 20 active cultural and welfare institutions.

THE HOLOCAUST

Hanover’s Jewish community, like Jewish communities throughout Germany, were targeted for persecution after the Nazi’s took power. In response, the community intensified its Jewish educational programming, with a particular focus on the youth organizations, and prepared residents for immigration.

The destruction of the community began in earnest in 1938 when the synagogues were destroyed and Jews terrorized. Later, between 1941 and 1945 approximately 2,900 Jews were deported from Hanover to concentration camps.

POSTWAR

After the war 66 survivors from the prewar community returned to the city. Together with survivors from other areas who decided to settle in Hanover, they helped reestablish Hanover’s Jewish community. By 1966 there were 450 Jews living in the city (0.03% of the total population). A new synagogue opened in 1963.

Pattensen

Pattensen

A town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

First Jewish presence: 1350; peak Jewish population: 82 in 1885; Jewish population in 1933: 19

The modern Jewish community of Pattensen was established in the first half of the 19th century. In 1858, the community replaced an older synagogue (built in or around the year 1816) with a new house of worship on Hofstrasse; the new synagogue also housed an elementary school and a mikveh. The Jews of Pattensen maintained two cemeteries: one on Goettinger Strasse (established in 1815), the other on Auf dem Lehmkuhlen (1861). In February 1930, eight schoolchildren attended the Jewish school, which closed down in July of that year. Nineteen Jews lived in Pattensen in 1933. Six pupils received religious instruction, and a shochet was employed. A women’s association (established in 1890), a men’s organization (founded in 1890 or 1900) and a branch of the Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith were active in Pattensen that year. As early as 1929, Jewish residents were insulted and physically attacked. The old cemetery was leveled in November 1938. On Pogrom Night (Nov. 9, 1938), SA men destroyed the synagogue, desecrated the cemeteries and broke windows in Jewish homes. Ten men were sent to Buchenwald (via Hanover); they returned in January 1939, but two died later that year. On the morning after Pogrom Night (November 10), Jewish men were forced to step on and destroy Torah scrolls. Approximately 16 Pattensen Jews emigrated or moved to other German cities during the years 1934 to 1938. In 1942, the remaining nine Jews were deported to Trawniki/ Warsaw and to Theresienstadt Nazi concentration camp. At least 19 Pattensen Jews perished in the Shoah. A memorial stone was unveiled at the former synagogue site in the 1980s. The Auf dem Lehmkuhlen cemetery was desecrated in 1968 and again in 1979. We also know that memorial plaques were unveiled at the St. Lucas Lutheran Church and at the Jewish cemetery.

____________________________________________

This entry was originally published on Beit Ashkenaz - Destroyed German Synagogues and Communities website and contributed to the Database of the Museum of the Jewish People courtesy of Beit Ashkenaz.