Brummen
In 1727, the first Jew to settle in the vicinity of Brummen arrived at the nearby town of Bronkhorst. He was granted a permit from the local authorities but was obliged to pay a special quarterly tax in return.
From 1811 on, a Jewish cemetery, located at the Manenveld, was in use. From 1818, regular synagogue services were held in a private home.
In 1859, Brummen was recognized as a Bijkerk or local congregation by the central consistory of Dutch Jewry. In 1889, the Brummen community completed the construction of a full-fledged synagogue at the corner of the Tuinstraat and Primulastraat.
The Jews of Brummen were employed in trade, textiles, and the meat processing and agricultural sectors. Brummen also boasted a Jewish café owner. In 1916, the membership of the community voted to sell their synagogue. In 1917, the Brummen community was voluntarily dissolved and merged into that of the nearby city of Zutphen.
Brummen's former synagogue was razed in 1962. The Jewish cemetery at Bronkhorst has been maintained by local authorities since 1968. In 1980, the adjacent municipality of Steenderen purchased, and subsequently restored, the cemetery's house for the ritual washing of the dead.
In 1988, a stone in memory of the Jews of Brummen and vicinity murdered by the Nazis was unveiled at the site of the former synagogue.
The Jewish population of Brummen and surroundings:
The size of the Jewish community over time
1809
48
1840
41
1869
42
1899
40
1930
18
