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Synagogues
The former Synagogue of the Altona Community in Hamburg was built by the architect
Ernst Georg Sonnin in 1788/89. (He also built the nearby Michaeliskirche).
The former synagogue was originally built for the Jews of Altona in Hamburg. Following the
dissolution of the association of the "triple Jewish community" of Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbek
(AHW) in 1812 it became the main synagogue of the Deutsch-Israelitische Gemeinde
(German Israelite Community)
in Hamburg. It had seating for 398 men and 219 women and was situated at the rear of No. 20
in the former 1. Elbstraße. A mikvah i.e. a pool used especially by women for ritual purification
after their monthly period, was situated on the ground floor as was the casellan's (sexton) flat.
On the first floor were situated five rooms of the community administration. Later the entire
building served as the community administration building. When on 1.01.1900 the entire street was
unified under the name Elbstraße the building became No. 44-46 Elbstraße. No. 21 in the former
1. Elbstraße was the rabbis house.
From 1814 to 1865 committee meetings took place in the community building with the following
prominent individuals being chairmen over this period:
What follows are details from the early history of the German Jews in Hamburg: In 1610 the first "High German" Jews settled in Hamburg. In 1627 the German Jews were accepted by the town. In 1641 the King of Denmark granted the "High German" Jews in Hamburg, Altona and Wandsbek certain privileges. The first German Jews in Hamburg therefore lived under the protection of the Danish king; every family had to pay a fixed sum of protection money annually. When the Swedes occupied Altona Jews sought shelter in Hamburg. However, all hopes of a permanent right of residence in Hamburg were denighed in 1649. In the previous year Jews were threatened with knives in the street and a parish priest demanded that all "Vermin" be expelled from the town. Despite all endeavours by the Senat on behalf of the Jews they were expelled from Hamburg in 1649 following intense agitation by the Erbgesessene Bürgerschaft i.e. the property owning citizens, the Kollegium of Oberalten i.e. honary guardians of the poor who had constitutional authority and could advise and decide on matters concerning the government and administration of the town, and the clergy. The majority found refuge in Altona. From henceforth all Jews who wished to enter Hamburg had to acquire a pass that was only valid for a period of three days. Some families classified themselves as "servants of the Portuguese nation" thereby coming under the protection of the Hamburg Jewish community. These Jews were the origins of the Jewish Community in Hamburg, which was under no foreign patronage. In 1654 they were 18 families and had their synagogue in the Neustadt, in Neuer Steinweg at the rear of houses Nos. 72-75. Their rabbis were Abraham and Tebele Posner. In 1671 the community broke away from the patronage of the Portuguese Jewish community and entered into a defensive alliance with Altona.
In 1657 between 5-36 families fled, from the Swedes who had occupied Altona, to Hamburg and
gradually settled there. It was in this way that the Altona Jewish Community in Hamburg came
into being, separate from the Hamburg Jewish Community. In 1697 the Hamburg Jewry consisted of three communities i.e. the Hamburg, the Altona, and the Wandsbek communities. There were many prayer halls. The significance of the Altona community is to be seen in its 11 prayer halls in Hamburg, one being in the house of Seligman Berend Salomon who donated the plot for the former synagogue in the former Elbstraße, today Neanderstraße. Prior to this the Altona community had its synagogue, separate from the Wandsbek community, in Peterstraße. Both communities had their board meetings in Peterstraße but again in separate buildings. The Hamburg community had its board meetings in the former Neuer Ellernsteinweg (today Alte Steinweg).
German text: Dipl.-Pol. Wilhelm Mosel, Deutsch-Jüdische Gesellschaft, Hamburg.
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