The city of Darmstadt has made available 100,000 Marks toward the planning and construction of a synagogue and Jewish community center in the heart of the town, a multimillion Mark project to be financed jointly by the municipality, the State government of Hesse and private donors.
The synagogue is scheduled to open on November 9, 1988, the 50th anniversary of the infamous Kristallnacht (night of broken glass) when mobs destroyed Jewish shops, homes and synagogues in the first major pogrom of the Nazi regime. Although only 150 Jews live in Darmstadt today, the synagogue and community center will serve other Jewish communities in Hesse.
The project was enthusiastically welcomed by all factions at a meeting of the City Council this week. A member of the Free Democratic Party called it a contribution to peaceful co-existence. A Social Democratic Party member said the synagogue would be part of Darmstadt’s history. A representative of the Green Party urged the budget committee to display generosity.
Local citizens have already raised 20,000 Marks and have called on the general public to follow suit.
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.
