Jewish Ritual Object @museum.de

M: We don't know where these objects originated or who they belonged to. They have no individual identifying features. Nor is it evident how they came to be in the municipal museum. Were they legitimately donated, or were they seized from their previous owners? Perhaps even by force?

F: What we do know, is that these objects are evidence of Jewish life in Bruchsal. Its roots go back well into the Middle Ages. As early as 1344, there is mention of a synagogue in the town. In the 19th century, the Jewish community numbered more than 700 members. In 1881, they used their own funds to build a magnificent new synagogue on Friedrichstraße at a cost of 140,000 marks. That place of worship was burned down during the November pogroms of 1938. This is what one eyewitness remembered:

M2: "The entire building was engulfed in flames. The brownshirts of the SA had taken everything they could find and dumped it on a pile in the street. “Burn the Jews! Burn the Jews!” they chanted. After a few minutes, the fire brigade showed up. But they made no effort to douse the fire at the synagogue."

F: Perhaps the Jewish ritual objects in the display case were damaged that night. But it may equally well have happened during a devastating air raid on the 1st of March 1945. At the back of the display case on the left, you can see a Torah crown, or rimonim. The word means pomegranate. In many communities, tiny bells are attached to the rimonim. Their shape is reminiscent of pomegranates, hence the name. The rimonim are mounted on the wooden bars used to roll up the Torah.

M: Across from the Torah crown, you can see a Sabbath lamp with a wick holder in the shape of a six-pointed star. In medieval times, oil lamps of this kind were called Jewish stars. The Sabbath lamp is not from the synagogue, but most likely came from a Jewish household.

F: On Friday evenings, when the Sabbath begins, the woman of the house would light the lamp. Then the head of the household would raise a cup of wine and say the Kiddush blessing. The light and the blessing mark the beginning of the Sabbath. The lamps are attached to the ceiling, usually above the dining table. They are lowered so they can be lit. In medieval times, there was even a saying, a word of comfort related to that event: "When the Shabbat lamp descends, hardship and sorrow turn away."