The Jews of Altona on the Elbe River today celebrated the 250th anniversary of the establishment of their Great Synagogue. The Jewish community obtained permission to build a synagogue and elect a rabbi in 1661 from the King of Denmark.
In 1711 part of the synagogue was destroyed by fire. Two years later Swedish artillery bombarded it. Five Swedish cannon balls are still lodged in the walls of the synagogue.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.