Muenzenberg

Summary: The earliest record of a Jewish presence in Muenzenberg, dated 1188, mentions a blood libel accusation. During the Third Crusade (1189-92), however, Jews from the surrounding cities—namely Mainz, Worms and Speyer— found refuge in Muenzenberg. Records indicate that the medieval Jewish community was on good terms with the authorities. The medieval community maintained a synagogue, but its location is unknown. Prominent Muenzenberg Jews included Rabbi David ben Kalonymus (David of Muenzenberg), an important 13th-century Jewish scholar. It was during the 13th century, too, that local Jews were granted residential rights. In Muenzenberg, whose Jewish community was well-regarded, Jews at one point made up one-third of the town’s total population. The modern community inaugurated a new synagogue at 14 Mittelgasse (present-day 14 Am Junkernhof and Pfarrgasse) in 1848. Other communal institutions included a mikveh, a Jewish school and a cemetery, the last of which was located at Steinberg-Gelaende. In 1933, the Nazi Party launched its anti-Jewish boycott. Local Jews faced not only economic persecution, but also relentless harassment by the SA. Later, on Pogrom Night (November 1938), rioters plundered Jewish-owned stores and set the synagogue’s interior on fire. On September 25, 1942, the town’s remaining 11 Jews were deported. According to Yad Vashem, 21 Muenzenberg Jews were killed in the Shoah. Muenzenberg is no longer home to a Jewish community. In 1985, a memorial plaque was affixed to the former synagogue building, now a fire station.

Author / Sources: Benjamin Rosendahl
Sources: AJ, EJL, LJG, SG-H, YV