Jews were present in the area by the middle of the 11th century. The community grew from about 300 in 1796 to a peak of about 1,200 in 1919. By the start of World War II, about 500 Jews remained in Bonn. By August, 1941, the remaining Jews were forced from the homes and into a Benedictine monastery which had been taken over by the Nazis. By July, 1942, these Jews were deported either to the Lodz or Theresienstadt ghettos. The synagogue depicted in the postcard below was dedicated in 1879 and destroyed during Kristallnacht. This postcard bears a Bonn postmark dated December 3, 1900.
Spector, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, P. 168-170
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Copyright ©2002 Edward Victor