Society ´Landsynagoge Roth`

The Arbeitskreis Landsynagoge Roth (The Society for the Rural Synagogue in Roth): History and Objectives

In Germany, an Arbeitskreis (lit. “work circle” - best translated as “society”) is an organization created for the purpose of carrying out a specific project. An Arbeitskreis is defined by its goals, that is, by what it is meant to accomplish. The Arbeitskreis Landsynagoge Roth was founded on January 27^th, 1996, on the anniversary of the freeing of Auschwitz. The project had its beginnings at the end of the 1980’s, when a group of individuals began intensive work for the preservation of the synagogue in Roth. They began researching the history of the synagogue and the Jewish community there, and they initiated first contacts with survivors in the USA.

The Charter of the Arbeitskreis defines the purpose of the group. This purpose includes preserving the synagogue as a memorial site, and at the same time administering the site as a place of learning and for cultural activities. The intention is that the synagogue be a space to remember and to reflect on past events – on the fate of the Jewish Community in and around Roth. At the same time the building should be a living forum where young and old can learn about all different aspects of Jewish culture then and now. Although the charter also indicates the intent to set up a museum on the site, a museum as such has not been created, partly because the needs of a museum would conflict with the requirements for preserving the site as a memorial. The charter specifically mentions cooperative work with groups sharing similar goals.

After the ceremonial opening of the renovated synagogue on March 10^th, 1998, the Arbeitskreis signed a license agreement with the District of Marburg-Biedenkopf. The group works to achieve its goals within the context of this agreement: The owner of the synagogue allows the Arbeitskreis to use the synagogue for its activities, and the Arbeitskreis takes on the function of coordinating the work of people interested in working in the building – particularly schoolchildren and historical, religious, and/or cultural institutions and clubs, as well as people working individually in these areas.

The license agreement states that activities in the synagogue should strengthen interest in local history and contribute to spreading knowledge about the Jewish religion and Jewish history. By creating a place to reflect on the crimes against humanity in the recent history of Germany, these activities should promote tolerance between people of different backgrounds.

The Arbeitskreis currently has about 40 members. Membership dues are 20 euro per year for individuals, 30 euro for couples.

Charter (in German) PDF

Members of the managing board:

Dr. Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch, chairperson
Annemarie Schlag, 1^st deputy chairperson
Laurence Bryant, 2^nd deputy chairperson
Friedel Schultheis, secretary
Werner Schlag, treasurer

Photo by F. Schultheis of some of the members in summer 2023.

The Arbeitskreis Landsynagoge Roth has received several awards for its efforts:

• 2003 Otto-Ubbelohde-Preis des Landkreises Marburg-Biedenkopf

• 2005 Hessischer Denkmalschutzpreis

• 2006 Förderpreis Hessische Heimatgeschichte des Landes Hessen

Presentation of the Hessian Homeland History Award of the State of Hesse 2006 by State Minister Udo Corts to the Chairwoman Gabriele C. Schmitt. On the left hand side the Head of the Hess. Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Prof. Gerd Weiß - Photo credits: Friedel Schultheis, Weimar-Roth

• 2011 Landesehrenbrief von Hessen

• 2011 Ehrenplakette des Landkreis Marbuirg-Biedenkopf

The long-time chair of the Arbeitskreis, Gabriele C. Schmitt, was honored for her valuable contributions twice in 2011 with a Letter of Commendation (Ehrenbrief) from the State of Hesse and with a Badge of Honor (Ehrenplakette) from the District of Marburg-Biedenkopf

Gabriele C. Schmitt as she receives the District of Marburg-Biedenkopf’s Badge of Honor from District Administrator Robert Fischbach at the ceremony celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the Arbeitskreis in 2011. - Photo credits: Otto Weimar, Weimar-Roth

• 2015 Jakobsmuschel des Arbeitskreises Dörfliche Kultur e.V. Kirchhain

• 2023 Ehrenbrief des Landes Hessen

Oberhessische Presse from 27.11.2023

Letter of honour for two deserving Marburg residents
With great commitment to the Roth country synagogue and old fruit varieties

FOTO: STEFANIE INGWERSEN/STADT MARBURG

Mayor Nadine Bernshausen (second from left) presented Dr Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch and Dr Norbert Clement (right) with a letter of honour from the state of Hesse for their many years of voluntary work.

MARBURG: Dr Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch is committed to the preservation of the Roth country synagogue and the culture of remembrance for more than 25 years. Dr Norbert Clement is highly committed to the preservation of old fruit varieties. Both receive for their very different but very valuable voluntary commitment the Letter of Honour of the State of Hesse from the hands of the Mayor - Nadine Bernshausen.

The Arbeitskreis has been networking with other groups locally and regionally since it was founded in 1996.

Cooperation with Schools

The Comprehensive School in Niederwalgern and the Ricarda Huch School in Giessen

The Comprehensive School in Niederwalgern has been involved in on-site learning at the synagogue from the very beginning. Teachers and students have worked together with us on several projects. Just to name a couple: they excavated the mikveh adjacent to the synagogue under the supervision of the Landesamtes für Denkmalpflege (Hessian State Department for Monument Protection) in 1996. A few years later, using pottery and glass shards collected during the excavation, they created a mosaic in the courtyard of the synagogue. Schoolclasses regularly come to the synagogue for on-site lessons. (For more information, please see Classes and 

For a few years now, we have been working with the Ricarda Huch School in Giessen as they develop their school partnership with the Eldad High School in Netanya in Northern Israel. Students grades 10-12 from both countries participate in exchange programs, spending a week with German or Israeli host families and exploring selected topics in-depth. These topics grow out of the study of the Shoah (the Holocaust) and its history, but the focus is on the future and developing ethical awareness and character. During the week in Germany, the students always visit the synagogue in Roth. This rural synagogue provides an example of what occurred in small villages throughout Germany under the Nazis. The building bears physical witness to the development of our awareness of our own history: First the building was used for completely different purposes than its original intent as a place of worship. This reflected the repression of facts and an unwillingness to acknowledge history. Later we observe a conscious reappraisal of what happened and the establishment of a culture of remembering, which is reflected in the restoration of the building.

Now and then we also oversee special project days in the synagogue for groups from the school.

Collaborative Work

Hessische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung

(HLZ, Hessian State Center for Political Education)

The Monument Department at the HLZ oversees and promotes memorial work in the State of Hesse under the direction of Dr. Monika Hölscher in Wiesbaden. 

Twice annually the HLZ holds memorial meetings at a one of the monuments in the state, organizing presentations about current memorial work and guided tours of the various memorial sites both for members of initiatives and those involved full-time at the sites. These meetings also provide a forum for those active in the field to meet, share their experiences, and exchange ideas for future work. Members of our Arbeitskreis, especially the managing board, regularly participate in these meetings.

Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Gedenkstätten- und Erinnerungsinitiativen zur NS-Zeit in Hessen

(LAG, All-State Cooperative for Memorial and Commemorative Initiatives related to the time of the Nazi Regime in Hessen)

Members of LAG include clubs and initiatives made up of volunteer workers as well as the directors of full-time memorial sites. LAG runs a website and the group has produced a traveling exhibition and a brochure. Members of LAG also meet at events organized by HLZ. The group is networked throughout Germany and is a forum for exchanging ideas on memorial work on a national level. The group is led by a council of representatives.

Jüdische Gemeinde Marburg and Gesellschaft für christliche-jüdische Zusammenarbeit Marburg

(The Jewish Community in Marburg and The Association for Christian-Jewish Cooperation in Marburg)

The Arbeitskreis has been in contact with the Jewish Community in Marburg from the very beginning. We want authentic Judaism as it is lived out in our midst today to inform our work and to be supported by what we do. Amnon Orbach, the chairperson of the Jewish Community, is a member of the Arbeitskreis and supports its work in various ways, especially at memorial activities. 

Our collaborative work with the association for Christian-Jewish Cooperation is also very important to us. Together with their book club, we organize a book reading with the author in the synagogue annually. 

Marburger Geschichtswerkstatt e.V. (Marburg Historical Society)

We have been working closely with the Marburg Historical Society from the very beginning.  One of their goals is to research the History of the Jewish Community in and around Marburg, as is evidenced by the plethora of publications they have published on this topic. The Society is a corporate member of our Arbeitskreis, and several individuals are members of both groups.

Förderkreis Synagoge in Vöhl e.V. (Society for the Synagogue in Vöhl)

We have been working in close partnership with the Society in Vöhl for many years and completed various projects together. The dancing instructor Barbara Küpfer has offered courses on Israeli dances in both the Roth and the Vöhl synagogues after the summer holidays for many years now.

Other groups that we work with or are members of

Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie e.V. (Against Forgetting – For Democracy)

Förderverein des Fritz-Bauer-Instituts Frankfurt (Fundraising Society for the Fritz Bauer Institute in Frankfurt)

Bündnis gegen Rechts Marburg (Alliance against the Far-right in Marburg)

Region Marburger Land e.V. (Society for the Development and Promotion of the Countryside around Marburg)

(Note from the Translator: The English translations carry no official weight.)

How Can I Get Involved?

The members of the Arbeitskreis work closely together. At the same time some members have taken on a specific duty or have found special niches to enrich the overall potential of the group and broaden the range of offerings. Meetings are held once a month, usually in the town hall in Roth. At these meetings, we plan and prepare upcoming activities, discuss ideas for future projects, determine what the next year’s schedule will be, and assign responsibilities and duties.

Michael Weller, Dr. Frances Schwarzenberger-Kesper, and Judith Oehler are responsible for educational outreach. They conduct the guided tours of the synagogue for schoolchildren.

Annemarie Schlag’s focus is Jewish History in Fronhausen. She gives guided tours of Fronhausen and its Jewish cemetery.

Friedel Schultheis and  Otto Weimar are our photographers.

The managing board takes care of public relations, especially coordinating work with journalists and newspapers.

Most members give tours of the synagogue and Roth.

The synagogue is regularly open to the public from 2-5 pm on the second and fourth Sunday of every month from May to September. All members help out with the opening hours, usually in groups of two.

Individual members choose for themselves how to get involved in activities and memorial ceremonies.

We do rely on everyone to lend a helping hand when it’s time to get the synagogue ready for an event – everything from setting up the chairs to cleaning up afterwards.

We go on an education trip together every year. This keeps us up-to-date on relevant topics and helps bring us together as a group. We often visit sites of Jewish life and/or Nazi persecution in other rural areas or in larger cities like Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne. We also take day trips to attend the memorial services and activities of other groups in our area.

We’d be happy to have you join our efforts in any of these areas! If you have any ideas or would like to get involved, please visit us when the synagogue is open or come talk to us at one of our events.

Membership application (in German) PDF

You can also contact members of the managing board directly.