Relatively close to the central historical area, but hidden between blocks of houses, there is a small square in Halle (an der Salle) called Jerusalem Square /Jerusalmerplatz with a big arch in its center with a symbolic metal door in the middle, whose lines are united in the 6-star corners of many small Magen David. Although while arriving in the city by bus, I noticed close to the entrance the black stones of a Jewish cemetery, it seemed that the place was either too far away from the center or completely unknown to the locals I'd asked about after, so this was the only Jewish memory I encountered in Halle.
The first official Jewish presence is recorded somewhere in the second half of the 12th century. After the houses of many inhabitants were burned and looted by the locals, the Jewish presence diminished till the 14-15th century, when they returned in relatively bigger numbers. Halle used to be a very important trade knot in the Eastern side of Germany, with many fairs held around the year.
In 1933, there were 1,100 Jews living here, representing 0.5% of the total population. Comparatively, in 1700, there were only 12 families. On November 10 1938, the synagogue and communal center were demolished, and the small memorial - called 'Judentores'/Jewish door - , where I completely arrived by accident as there were no specific information about it, is in the memory of this tragic incident. In July 1944, there were only 92 Jews living here, and their number decreased since then.
Here is the place where the tragic events in the life of German Jewry are celebrated. A quiet place, with some green areas, and a bench where to stay and remember those terrible times.
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