During the November pogroms of 1938, the Nazis attempted to burn down the Essen synagogue at Steeler Tor. But the building, which had only been built 25 years earlier, was made of concrete and they didn’t want to blow it up – they could have damaged other buildings. Therefore, this testimony to Jewish life from 1913 to the present day stands. Since 2010 it has been used as a house of Jewish culture. And although it was only in November 2022 that a still unknown perpetrator fired shots at the adjacent rabbi’s house, the Old Synagogue is said to be an open house. Only the Essen police team car parked in front of the door is a reminder that aggression against Jews in Germany is increasing, particularly rapidly since October 7th of last year.
Anti-Semitism and racism: everything is agitated – culture
