The former house of the Jewish cantor is the seat of the municipal community work in Rastatt-West and also houses a documentation room on the Jewish history of Rastatt. The cantor's house is a branch of the town museum. Further information on Jewish life in Rastatt
The teacher and cantor of the Jewish community lived in the cantor's house, which was built in 1906 together with the neighboring synagogue. Unlike the synagogue, the neat Art Nouveau building designed by architect Ludwig Levi was spared the destruction of 1938. it was extensively renovated in 2010 and the documentation room was set up.
Time after 1900
The chronological focus of the documentation on Jewish history is on the years after 1900, when Jewish businesses made a significant contribution to Rastatt's prosperity following the demolition of the former federal fortress. A topographical overview shows the location of the houses and properties of Jewish owners in the city. It illustrates the presence and successful integration of Jews in Rastatt until the late 1920s. This illustrates the extent and tragedy of the discrimination and extermination of the Jewish community.
Agitation, flight and mass murder
Attacks and targeted smear campaigns against Jewish citizens began in Rastatt at the beginning of the 1930s. By 1939, some of Rastatt's Jews had managed to emigrate, mostly to France, the USA or Palestine. A media installation in the exhibition illustrates that some of Rastatt's Jews were unable to leave the town. On 22 October 1940, they were deported in an organized mass transport to the Gurs internment camp in the south of France, thus wiping out Rastatt's Jewish community.
