Virtual Seats Memorial

A modern interactive memorial concept for Synagoge Stommeln: symbolic seats, documented names, and respectful digital remembrance.

Historical custom: In many Jewish communities, synagogue seats were rented or purchased, especially for the High Holidays. Assigned seats expressed belonging and family tradition, while also helping support the synagogue financially. Also in Stommeln, benches were rented annually to worshippers.

A project by Riva Cohen

Loading names... Estimated capacity: about 35-50 seats

Virtual Seat Layout

Torah / Aron Kodesh (Front)

Sponsor A Seat Of Remembrance (Annual)

Support seats are a present-day participation layer and are clearly separate from the historical memorial register. Sponsoring a seat is a symbolic act of remembrance and does not mean taking over a specific historical person's actual seat. You can sponsor a symbolic seat annually to help sustain this project.

Free Dedication €0

Optional Donation Suggested: €36 / €72 / €180 Multiples of 18 (חי,Chai, "life"). Why 18?

Impact Supports maintenance, research, and education

Free dedication is possible without payment
Optional donation can be added during checkout
Display choice: Anonymous, Initials, or Full name

Learn How It Works

General Support

Visitors who want to support the initiative without adopting a symbolic seat can donate separately here.

General Support

Selected Seat

No seat selected yet.

Choose on sponsor seat plan

Optional Donation

Custom Donation Amount (€)

Display Choice

Display Name (required for Initials/Full name)

Dedication (optional)

Use Email Instead of Checkout

Email option: for people who prefer not to use online checkout.

By choosing public display, you explicitly consent to publication of your selected name format. You can update or withdraw that choice at any time.

How It Works

Select a seat and add your dedication/public display details.
Choose: free dedication only, or optional donation amount.
For donation, continue to secure checkout and complete payment.
For free dedication, submit via email/manual confirmation.
After confirmation, your support seat appears in the support layer.

Project Goal: To create a respectful digital memorial page for Synagoge Stommeln that uses a symbolic virtual seat plan-based on the historical bench tradition-to connect remembrance of Jewish life with present-day support through annual symbolic seat sponsorships.

Sources:

Wißkirchen, Josef: Auf jüdischen Spuren in Pulheim-Stommeln. Münster: Aschendorff Verlag, 2022, 374 pages, ISBN 978-3-402-24927-7.
Yad Vashem Online Database

Sponsor Seat Plan (Independent From Memorial Layer)

General Support