Public: At the former location of the main synagogue, a plaque commemorates the destroyed church. There is rubbish on the square in front of it.
Image: Wonge Bergman
In Frankfurt, Jews were particularly brutally persecuted by the National Socialists. Today, the city is often referred to as the “most Jewish” in Germany – but not everywhere is appropriately reminded of its history. Three places show this in particular.
Dhe place where one of the most important synagogues in Frankfurt stood is now a “public urinal”. This is how Mirjam Wenzel, who runs the Jewish Museum and the Museum Judengasse in Frankfurt, puts it. The words of the specialist in remembrance and commemorative culture are harsh but accurate: At the passage from Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse to Gasse An der Staufenmauer, which in turn is a connection to the Zeil, it stinks of urine. Garbage lies on the floor. Weeds grow out of the cracks in the pavement. A black plaque on the wall reminds us that the main synagogue once stood there. In 1938 the National Socialists set them on fire, destroyed their sanctuaries and persecuted and deported Jewish citizens.
“It’s a completely neglected place, I’m horrified,” comments Wenzel. “A place here is still being violently displaced to this day.” It’s not the only place in the city where she asks herself: How is that possible? A historic vaulted cellar and the festival hall also play a role.
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