Kirn Jewish Community
A Jewish community in Kirn , a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate , already existed in the Middle Ages .
history
Jewish people are already mentioned in the city of Kirn in the Middle Ages. The persecution of the Jews during the plague of 1348/49 destroyed Jewish life in the city.
There were no Jewish residents in Kirn between the 15th and 18th centuries. Only since the middle of the 19th century have Jewish families moved from smaller towns in the area. For the Jewish community in Kirn also in included after 1900 Becherbach living Jews , previously the community in Hundsbach were allocated.
The Jewish community had a synagogue , a Jewish school, a ritual bath ( mikveh ) and a cemetery . She had employed a teacher who was both a prayer leader and a schochet .
synagogue
The Jewish community in Kirn had had a prayer room in the back courtyard of the Zur Krone inn (Übergasse) since the 1870s .
In 1887, the construction of a synagogue began on Amthofstrasse. February 1888 was inaugurated. The eaves side was divided by pilaster strips between which arched and tracery windows were located. The inside of the building was devastated during the November pogrom in 1938 , but not set on fire so as not to endanger the neighboring houses. In 1950 the building was demolished.
Community development
| year | Parishioners |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 4 people |
| 1866 | 45 people |
| 1895 | 104 people, 1.8% of the population |
| 1925 | 106 people, 1.4% of the population |
| 1933 | approx. 110 people |
| 1939 | 39 people |
time of the nationalsocialism
A considerable part of the parishioners emigrated after 1933 or moved to larger cities. During the November pogrom in 1938, the interior of the synagogue was destroyed by SA men and 13 Jewish houses were attacked and demolished.
The last eleven Jewish residents were deported in July 1942 .
The memorial book of the Federal Archives lists 18 Jewish citizens born in Kirn who fell victim to the genocide of the National Socialist regime .
Commemoration
Since 1988 a memorial has been commemorating the fate of the Jewish community and the synagogue. It is located on Steinweg between Neuer Straße and Langgasse.
A memorial plaque was placed next to the war memorial in the cemetery as early as 1978 .
literature
- Klaus-Dieter Alicke: Lexicon of the Jewish communities in the German-speaking area. Volume 2: Großbock - Ochtendung. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2008, ISBN 978-3-579-08078-9 ( online version ).
- Stefan Fischbach, Ingrid Westerhoff: "... and this is the gate of heaven". Synagogues in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland . Published by the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Rhineland-Palatinate , State Conservatory Office of the Saarland, Synagogue Memorial Jerusalem. Verlag Philipp von Zabern , Mainz 2005, ISBN 3-8053-3313-7 , ( Memorial Book of Synagogues in Germany 2), pp. 211–212.