Synagogue (Merxheim)

Merxheim synagogue
place	Merxheim
Construction year	1853
demolition	1870
Coordinates	49 ° 47 '35.6 "  N , 7 ° 33' 41.6"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 47 '35.6 "  N , 7 ° 33' 41.6"  E

The synagogue in Merxheim was built in 1853 in Judengasse (today's Römerstraße). In 1870 the synagogue was completely destroyed by fire and no longer rebuilt.

synagogue

A prayer room was already available in Merxheim before 1850. In 1850 the Jewish community built a synagogue in Judengasse (today's Römerstrasse), as the prayer room was no longer sufficient for the number of community members. In 1870 there was a fire in the synagogue that completely destroyed it. Since the community lacked the financial means, the synagogue was not rebuilt. From this point on, the services were held again in a prayer room in a private house.

Merxheim Jewish Community

Jews in the area of ​​Merxheim are mentioned for the first time as early as 1301, who as protective Jews of the Raugrafen were subject to tax. In the 14th century, however, the Jewish residents left Merxheim again. In the centuries that followed, Jews settled in Merxheim again and again, but they either emigrated or were expelled. A Jewish community was only able to establish itself in Merxheim in the 19th century. The Jewish inhabitants of Simmern under Dhaun also belonged to the Jewish community , but they had their own prayer room. The community had a mikveh and a religious school. The lessons were held alternately in Merxheim and Meisenheim . The deceased were buried in the Jewish cemetery in Merxheim. From 1933, after the seizure of power of Adolf Hitler , the Jewish inhabitants were increasingly disenfranchised. In addition, there were repeated anti-Jewish actions. As a result, more Jewish residents left Merxheim. The last two residents of Jewish faith left Merxheim after the November pogroms in 1938 .

Development of the Jewish population

year	Jews	Jewish families	comment
1801		1
1808	37
1855	52
1864	65
1895	43
1925	25th
1933	25th
1938	2

Source: alemannia-judaica.de; jewische-gemeinden.de

The memorial book - Victims of the Persecution of Jews under National Socialist Tyranny 1933–1945 and the Central Database of the Names of the Holocaust Victims of Yad Vashem list 17 members of the Merxheim Jewish community (who were born there or lived there for a while) who were during the Nazi era were murdered.

literature

• 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. ( Memorial book of the synagogues in Germany , 2). Verlag Philipp von Zabern , Mainz 2005, ISBN 3-8053-3313-7 , pp. 270-271.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Merxheim . alemannia-judaica.de. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Merxheim (Rhineland-Palatinate) . jewische-gemeinden.de. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
3. ↑ Commemorative Book Victims of the Persecution of Jews under the National Socialist Tyranny in Germany 1933–1945 . Federal Archives. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
4. ^ Central database of the names of Holocaust victims . Yad Vashem - International Holocaust Memorial. Retrieved May 17, 2020.