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    Title

  • Piece of Wooden Pew from Pforzheim Synagogue

  • Physical Description

    1 item : wood ; 10.5" x 3.5", 27 cm x 9 cm., + fabric lined shadow box (15.75" x 8.25" x 1.5")

  • Date

    1938

  • Notes

    Piece of paper taped to back of shadow box: "N.Y. April, 1989. This piece of wood is a remnant from a pew which belonged to the synagogue in Pforzheim, Germany, destroyed by fire and vandalism during the 'Chrystal Night' of Nov. 9-10, 1938. By the Nazi Beasts. When things quieted down, I went and 'stole' this piece as a remembrance. Herta Jean Bloch nee Dreyfuss"

    Label affixed to shadow box indicates that the box was made by B.H. Glass & Shades Co. 4840 Broadway New York, NY. The label also indicates that the shadow box may have been constructed on 3/23/1989

  • Summary

    A piece of the wooden pew, finished in a medium burnt brown, with at least one screw still attached. The piece of pew is affixed to a red fabric lined shadow box made of wood.

  • Subject

    Kristallnacht, 1938; Synagogues

  • Place

    Pforzheim (Germany)

  • Genre

    Cultural artifacts; Objects

  • Part Of

    Jean Herta and Jacques Werner Bloch collection, AR 25773

  • Accession Number

  • URL

Biographical/Historical Information

The synagogue in Pforzheim, Germany was designed by Ludwig Adler and was built in 1893. The Jewish population in Pforzheim peaked at around 1,000 in 1927. The synagogue was partly destroyed during Kristallnacht in 1938. The remnants of the synangogue were demolished soon after.

Herta Jean Bloch (nee Dreyfuss) was born on November 14, 1924 in Pforzheim, Germany. On Kristallnacht, five days before Herta's 14th birthday, her father was arrested and detained at Dachau for approcimately six weeks until her mother secured his release. In 1939, Herta and her parents emigrated to the United States. Herta attended and graduated from high school in New York City. She worked as a secretary and married Jacques Werner Bloch in 1949. She had two children. She died on August 29, 2017.

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Citation

Piece of Wooden Pew from Pforzheim Synagogue, Leo Baeck Institute, 2018.22.