The German invasion in May 1940 heralded the start of the persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands and the municipality of Sneek. On October 1, 1941, 68 Jews were registered in the municipality and surroundings.
In Sneek, groups and individuals soon became active that helped Jewish and other citizens go into hiding. About 25 Jews continue to live openly in the city. At the beginning of March 1943, the Germans planned to round up all the Jews in Sneek. Fortunately, the resistance group Lever was able to warn the Jewish residents a few hours before the raid. A number of Jewish residents including the rabbi and his wife went into hiding. The rest, including the elderly, chose not to go into hiding. In the evening they were arrested and deported via Leeuwarden to concentration camps.
During a raid in November 1944, the entrance door of the synagogue and the interior including the stained-glass windows were destroyed. After the war, the Jewish community of Sneek was not re-established. The remains of the synagogue were demolished in 1949; a year later the Jewish community of Sneek was merged with that of Leeuwarden.
About half of the Jewish inhabitants survived the war by hiding, fleeing or otherwise. A very large percentage in relation to the Dutch Jews, of whom only a quarter made it out alive. In addition to its 'own' Jews, the resistance has allowed countless others from elsewhere to go into hiding in the city and the surrounding area, children as well as adults. Very few have been betrayed and caught. The people in hiding and foster parents stood right in front of their protégés and the entire population as a whole cooperated wholeheartedly.
The memorial stone at the back of the garden of the town hall of Sneek was unveiled on June 19, 1995 by Mr. Ernst Pino, one of the few members of the Sneker Pino family who survived the Second World War. The synagogue itself was in the Kruisbroederstraat, here you can find a stone with a plaque and the Star of David.
