Remarkable Discovery: Rubble from Munich's Destroyed Synagogue Found in River After 85 Years

In a remarkable find, construction workers in Munich have uncovered rubble from the city’s main synagogue, which was destroyed on the orders of Adolf Hitler 85 years ago. The discovery includes columns from the synagogue and a stone tablet displaying a portion of the Ten Commandments, delighting the local Jewish community and residents.

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Historic Significance of the Discovery:

The Jewish museum’s director, Bernhard Purin, expressed his astonishment and called the finding one of the most moving moments in his 30 years of working in Jewish museums. The synagogue had been torn down in June 1938 after Hitler deemed it an “eyesore,” and its remnants had remained unseen since then. The November pogrom, known as Kristallnacht, followed five months later, resulting in attacks on Jews, synagogues, and Jewish-run businesses across Nazi Germany.

Details of the Discovery:

Rubble from the demolished synagogue is believed to have been submerged in the nearby River Isar since it was utilized to rebuild a weir 11 years after World War Two. Among the retrieved artefacts is a stone tablet that originally adorned the eastern wall’s Ark, which housed the Torah. The site of the former synagogue is now occupied by a department store.

The Significance of the Find:

A quarter of the stone tablet was missing, making the discovery even more meaningful. The Leonhard Moll construction company, responsible for demolishing the synagogue, had apparently stored the rubble on its premises until 1956. At that time, approximately 150 tonnes were dumped into the river to renovate the Grosshesseloher weir, including remnants from the synagogue and buildings destroyed during the war.

Response from the Jewish Community and Local Figures:

The head of Munich’s Jewish community, Charlotte Knobloch, who had worshipped in the synagogue as a child before its destruction, expressed her joy at the discovery. Munich’s mayor, Dieter Reiter, described the find as a stroke of luck, while his deputy, Katrin Habenschaden, emphasized the city’s historic duty to secure the discovery and return it to the Jewish community.

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