The memorial on the bank of the river Wiesent

In 1982 a monument was erected on the banks of the river Wiesent to perpetuate the memory of the Jewish community. The sandstone column was created by the sculptor Hermann Leitherer (1919-1991) from Bamberg. The German inscription is rather clumsily worded and translates as “The town remembers in veneration and gratitude the achievements and sufferings of their Jewish fellow citizens”. The Hebrew inscription is taken from the Book of Psalms.

Requests to erect a memorial to the life and suffering of the Jewish population of Forchheim were made to the town administration as early as 1956 – Jewish individuals with roots in Forchheim were also actively involved. In 1966 Wilhelm Kleemann, the son of the teacher and cantor Michael Löb Kleemann was presented with the Ring of Honour of the town of Forchheim. The keynote speakers announced their intention to ensure the creation of a worthy monument to the Jewish community. Since the plot on which the synagogue originally stood was used as a car park the monument was erected across the road on the bank of the river Wiesent.