A Hebrew inscription from the year 1720

When the house at Apothekenstraße 4, which now belongs to the Volksbank Forchheim was being renovated, an inscription was found above a door lintel on the first floor: the Hebrew letters Mem – Zajin – Resch – Chet, below them the date 1720. If the missing vowels are added, the word Mizrach appears which means East. Synagogues and prayer rooms are usually orientated towards the east. The Holy City of Jerusalem, a place of longing for Jews living in the diaspora is to be found where the sun rises.

Reinhold Glas, a local historian has found evidence that from 1680 to 1818 the house was Jewish owned. The Jew Seligmann bought it from a Christian and bequeathed it to his son Männlein Seeligmann, known as Goldsticker. The house then passed into the possession of Michael Joseph, a protected Jew (see section 1, Bishop’s protection). His son, Joseph Michael, then sold the house back to a Christian.