Deliberately founded on the first nationwide Holocaust Memorial Day, January 27, 1996, the seven founding members Renate Blöcher, Gerhard Fischer, Harald Händler, Barbara Händler-Lachmann, Dietmar Haubfleisch, Gabriele C. Schmitt and Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch formulated as the purpose of the association "the preservation of the former synagogue in Weimar/Lahn, village of Roth, and its use as a memorial, museum, place of learning and site of cultural encounters". In 1998, after the building had been restored and could be put to public use, the association concluded a contract of use with the district of Marburg-Biedenkopf as owner and has since been solely responsible for the cultural work in the building.
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The main focus of the activities in and around the synagogue can be characterized by the terms commemorative, cultural and educational work. Over the years, a great variety of forms have been developed, sustainable partnerships have been formed and firm cooperations have been entered into, for example with the Jewish Community of Marburg, the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation, the History Workshop Marburg, the Philipps University, similar initiatives in Hesse, the Comprehensive School Niederwalgern, the Ricarda Huch School in Giessen and its partner school Eldad High School in Netanya (Israel), to name but a few. In all these years, special importance was attached to maintaining relations with the survivors of the Shoah in the USA and their continuation with the next generations, which to everyone's delight has succeeded and led to warm-hearted friendships.
A book documenting all these aspects has been published for the anniversary. However, it is not a "classic" chronicle of the association, but reflects the many facets of the association's work in personal texts by survivors and descendants, cooperation partners and friends, members and board members of the association, illustrated with expressive pictures. Taking into account the relations with the friends in the USA, it was published bilingually in German and English. The book is available from the association for 19 euros: “Love Your Neighbor …“. 25 Years of Commemorative, Cultural and Educational Activity in the Rural Synagogue in Roth, ed. by Annegret Wenz-Haubfleisch, Weimar-Roth 2021.