5. Old Synagogue

Map 5. Old Synagogue in pictures Downloads

5. Old Synagogue

Luxembourg's first synagogue since expulsions of Jews in past centuries was inaugurated in 1823 and was located near the "Kaddish" Shoah memorial, inaugurated in 2018. It was replaced by the much larger synagogue opened in 1894 near Aldringer Square, opposite the Casino building on Rue Notre-Dame. This synagogue was demolished on the orders of the Nazi occupation forces between August and October 1941. Before that, it had been the target of anti-Semitic attacks several times: even before the invasion of German troops in May 1940, the building had been smeared with swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans in September 1938. At the beginning of the occupation, the windows of the synagogue were smashed several times. This meant that even Wehrmacht soldiers had to guard the synagogue for several weeks. After a failed arson attack by unknown people on 28 February 1941 failed, the synagogue was stormed during a service on 9 May 1941 by members of the Stosstrupp of the Volksdeutsche Bewegung - a Luxembourg Nazi organisation. An attack one week later on Rabbi Dr. Serebrenik in the open street by local Nazis was used as a pretext by the Germans to have the synagogue demolished for good. The search for a company that could be commissioned with the demolition work proved more difficult than expected. Eventually, a bid from the Lucius company was received, which at 21.000 Reichsmarks was the cheapest of two offers. In autumn 1941, the demolition work was largely completed. The remaining stones are said to have lain on the site for several years, leading to the false assumption that the demolition stretched from 1941 to 1943.

The new Luxembourg City Synagogue is located at number 45 of Monterey Avenue and was inaugurated in 1953.