From 1587 to 1942, people of the Jewish faith were continuously resident in Rüthen. A thematically oriented tour of the town aims to remind participants of this period by means of former buildings and places associated with Rüthen's Jewish history (former synagogue, residential and commercial buildings, Jewish cemetery), which still characterize the townscape today.
It was not until the racist ideology of persecution and extermination of the Nazi state that the 355-year-old
put a brutal end to 355 years of Jewish history.
Notes on the biographies of the last Jewish citizens of Rüthen, for whom Stolpersteine were laid in the summer of 2015, recall the fate of these people, who were respected citizens of Rüthen until the Nazi era.
The tour ends with a visit to the Jewish cemetery, which is considered the oldest original preserved Jewish burial place in Westfalen.
When visiting the cemetery, male participants are asked to wear headgear!