The city ordered Halberstadt’s desecrated synagogue demolished

English translation

Halberstadt, 18 November 1938 1. During today’s building-police inspection of the property at Bakenstraße 56, synagogue, owner: Israelite Community of Halberstadt, it was determined that the building in its present condition constitutes a danger to public safety and order. As a result of the “action of popular outrage” during the night of 9–10 November 1938, individual structural parts and fittings, through their condition, pose a constant danger to the population, especially to children. Furthermore, the building in its present condition constitutes a gross disfigurement. There is also a danger of fire because the wooden framework and other readily combustible objects create an unsafe condition that places the neighboring properties in extreme danger. In addition to the defective structural condition, the height of the building must also be objected to. The synagogue was placed in the already confined block without regard for the neighboring small houses of the old town and, by its height, deprives the entire surroundings of air and light. From the standpoint of urban planning and hygiene, this condition must be described as untenable. 2. To be submitted to the Lord Mayor. [Administrative initials and receipt date: 20 November 1938.]

English of the legible text, prepared for the Reichenbach Family Archive.