Jewish cemeteries in Linden (Hesse), Germany

Linden is made up of two parts: Großen-Linden and Leihgestern. These photos were taken August 2013.
Synagogue Leihgestern

Little is known about the history of the synagogue in Leihgestern. It was destroyed during the November pogroms of 1938 - the so called "Reichskristallnacht". In German the word is not supposed to be used anymore as it is Nazi jargon. "Reichpogromnacht" or simply "Pogromnacht" is used instead. "Kristall" means "crystal" and is referring to the broken glass from Jewish shops and homes that resulted from the National Socialist pogroms and to the Nazis probably appeared like "crystal" strewn about the streets.

The Leihgestern synagogue used to be on the corner of Rathausstraße 53 and Klausegasse. A memorial plaque can be found at the address.

Of the Jewish residents who were either born in Leihgestern or lived there for a longer period of time the following were killed during the National Socialist tyranny:

Berthold Bauer (1905)

Betty Bauer née Siegbert (1906)
Clara (Klara) Bauer née Stern (1877)
Louis Bauer (1872)
Markus Bauer (1872)
Moses Bauer (1876)
Rickchen Bauer née Strauß (1886)
Hedwig Weisenbach (1902)
Ida Weisenbach née Rollhaus (1887)
Ilse Weisenbach (1914)
Julius Weisenbach (1888)
Sender (Alexander) Weisenbach (1855)

Memorial Plaque (Leihgestern):




Jewish cemetery Leihgestern

The cemetery was created in 1887 (?). The last person to be buried at this site was Moses Bauer whose gravestone was put up a while after he had was buried, in 1854, due to the efforts of his daughter Hanna who had emigrated to the US. In total only eleven people were buried at this cemetery. It is located on the Steinweg, between Leihgestern and Mühlberg. 

Synagogue in Großen-Linden

The synagogue in Großen-Linden was located at Bahnhofstraße 3 in Linden. The house there might have been used as a synagogue from the early 19th century. According to the momorial plaque the synagogue was "defiled" after the November pogroms of 1938. The house was demolished in 1973 due to dilapidation. 

In 1933 28 Jewish citizens lived in Großen-Linden (1,1 % of the 2581 inhabitants). Most of them moved away or emigrated. During the November pogroms of 1938 the local school principal organized more than 200 school children to go on a rampage through the village and smash the windows of Jewish citizens' homes. At the beginning of 1942 only three Jews still lived in Großen-Linden. They were deported in September of 1942.

Of the Jews who were born in Großen-Linden or who lived there for a longer period of time the following were killed during the National Socialist tyranny:

Berthold Edelmuth (1876)
Lina Edelmuth née Meyer (1883)
Anna Marx (1882)
Clara (Klara) Marx née Marx (1849)
Emil Marx (1883)
Franziska Meier (1875)
Frieda Meyer (1875)
Lina Simon (1877)
Nathan Simon (1891)

Jewish cemetery Großen-Linden

This cemetery was created in 1637. Some of the very old gravestones from the 18th century were buried underneath a farm track, as the cemetery was split into two parts and made smaller over time because of people appropriating parts of the cemetery land. There are records of "defilement" of the cemetery in 1933 when some gravestones were toppled over and things were smashed. There are supposed to be 104 gravestones left. A memorial stone was added in 1997 by several American families.