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The Jewish Congregation of Hamelin |
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Hamelin (Hameln), Germany is best known as the home of the famous “Pied Piper” and of Glückel of Hameln, the Jewish female chronicler of daily life in mid-17th–early 18th century Germany. The town supported a small but vibrant Jewish community for over 400 years until Kristallnacht, when the synagogue was destroyed and the Jewish population decimated.
Jüdische Gemeinde Hameln, the Reform Jewish Community of Hamelin, founded in 1997 by Rachel Dohme and a small group of Russian immigrants, is the first organized Jewish community to be established in Hamelin since the Shoah. The congregation has grown to include over 200 congregants, almost all of whom are recent Russian Jewish émigrés. JGH is a member of the Union of Progressive Jews in Germany, the
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Rachel Dohme, chairwoman of the Jewish Congregation of Hamelin, and Hamelin Mayor Susanne Lippmann, celebrate JGH’s 10th Anniversary. See story.
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World Union of Progressive Judaism, and the Central Council of Jews of Germany. Close working relationships with the local government, cultural and church groups, and the Society for Christian-Jewish Solidarity have contributed to the congregation’s success.
JGH is a dynamic congregation that has made important strides in revitalizing Jewish life in Hamelin. In 1999 the congregation was successful in having Hamelin’s historic Jewish cemetery, desecrated during WWII, reopended for use. A new, larger Jewish community cemetery, administrated by the city, was dedicated in November 2001. JGH also sponsors a Chevra Kaddishah (Burial Society).
Jüdische Gemeinde Hameln offers a wide range of religious and social services, including holiday celebrations, Shabbat observance, life cycle officiation, a basic course in Judaism offered in Russian, a religious school, adult education, a Jewish music group, German language classes, and various cultural activities. In the summer of 1999 a Jewish summer camp sponsored by the congregation served all liberal communities in Germany. In addition, non-German-speaking members are given assistance in dealing with medical and other appointments as needed.
JGH does not yet have its own full time rabbi, but the congregation receives monthly visits from Rabbi Irit Shillor (supported by a grant from the European Region of the World Union for Progressive Judaism) and other visiting clergy. Rabbi Arnold Zoref and Rabbi Jo David visited the community in 2000 and provided many new experiences for the congregants. Rabbi David visits the congregation several times a year. Through her help and guidance, the community plans to build the first Reform synagogue in post-war Germany. The synagogue will stand on the very ground the town's synagogue stood until its destruction on November 9, 1938.
This Web site is an important outreach vehicle to educate others about the special needs of German Jews and Russian Jewish immigrants in Germany. The congregation is beginning to raise money for its own needs with a new Tree of Life. We look forward to the future with hope. Contributions to the synagogue building fund can be made online.
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