World
Ruins of synagogue destroyed in Kristallnacht found in Munich river
The Ohel Yaakov synagogue was one of the largest in the city
July 7, 2023 09:43
The Ohel Yaakov synagogue was one of the largest in the city
July 7, 2023 09:43(JNS)Construction workers have uncovered stones in the Isar River from a Jewish temple obliterated in Germany just before World War II.
In June of 1938, Munich’s main synagogue was demolished following an order from Adolf Hitler. The rubble was then stored until 1956, when it, along with the remains of other destroyed buildings, was dumped into the river, where it has rested ever since.
A department store now stands in the synagogue’s original location.
Bernhard Purin, head of the Jewish Museum Munich, described seeing the remains of the synagogue as “one of the most moving moments in 30 years of working in Jewish museums.” He noted that the discovery of the Ten Commandments was especially powerful.
