The third new synagogue in Germany to be dedicated within a month was consecrated in the center of this industrial and commercial Ruhr metropolis by Chief Rabbi Dr. Paul Holzer, after the audience had listened to a moving address by North Rhine Westphalian Minister-President Fritz Steinhoff.
Covering more than 700 square yards, the structure comprises not only the synagogue but also a community center and Dortmund’s first Jewish old-age home, as well as the residence of Chief Rabbi Holzer. The building was erected mainly with German Government funds.
The synagogue has almost 200 seats, which is greater than the number of Jews now living in Dortmund. More than a hundred residents of nearby Westphalian towns and cities are also affiliated with the Dortmund Community, but out of this total membership of 300, only a handful are children or young people. Before the Hitler era there were 5,000 Jews in Dortmund alone, exclusive of the many nearby communities which were extinguished altogether by Nazi persecution.
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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.
