Synagogue (Bechhofen, Germany)

1684

Interior of building of back wall with decorative images on top, Hebrew text in the middle, and lattice below, platform with railing in left foreground, and several podiums along wall. — The Bechhofen Synagogue (built in 1685) is believed to have been the largest wooden synagogue in Germany. The interior of the synagogue was painted with lavish decorations in 1732 and 1733, in typical East European style, which the artist Eliezer Zusman, originally from the town of Brody, is credited with introducing to southern Germany. This photograph was taken before the synagogue was burned down on Kristallnacht, November 9 and 10, 1938.

Exterior view of wooden building with dirt path. — The Bechhofen Synagogue (built in 1685) is believed to have been the largest wooden synagogue in Germany. The interior of the synagogue was painted with lavish decorations in 1732 and 1735, in typical East European style, which the artist Eliezer Zusman, originally from the town of Brody, is credited with introducing to southern Germany. All the walls were covered with floral and zoological motifs (including a unicorn) as well as phrases from psalms. This photograph was taken before the synagogue was burned down on Kristallnacht, November 9 and 10, 1938.

The Bechhofen Synagogue (built in 1685) is believed to have been the largest wooden synagogue in Germany. The interior of the synagogue was painted with lavish decorations in 1732 and 1733, in typical East European style, which the artist Eliezer Zusman, originally from the town of Brody, is credited with introducing to southern Germany. This photograph was taken before the synagogue was burned down on Kristallnacht, November 9 and 10, 1938.

Credits

Painted Interior. © Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP).
Exterior. © United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,courtesy of Steven Frank.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

Takkanot (Regulations)

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Hebrew

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Bechhofen, Holy Roman Empire (Bechhofen, Germany)

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Synagogue (Bechhofen, Germany)

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