Niedermendig

General information: First Jewish presence: 17th century; peak Jewish population: unknown; Jewish population in 1933: 38
Summary: In 1858, the Jewish population figures for Niedermendig (Lower Mendig) and nearby Obermendig (Upper Mendig) were 42 and 34, respectively. The Jewish cemetery, which had been consecrated south of Niedermendig in 1889, also served the Jews of Obermendig. Earlier, in 1864, the Jewish communities of Niedermendig, Obermendig, Thuer and Kottenheim decided to build a synagogue. Unable to agree on a location, they instead built two synagogues (in 1886): one for Thuer and Kottenheim, the other for Niedermendig and Obermendig, the latter of which was built on Wollstrasse and inaugurated in 1886. Soon afterwards, the Jewish population of Obermendig declined as more Jews moved to Niedermendig, so that, in 1895, 54 Jews lived in Niedermendig and five in Obermendig; in 1925, no Jews lived in Obermendig. In 1933, Niedermendig’s Jewish population was 38. Later, on Pogrom Night (November 1938), the synagogue was destroyed. Nineteen Niedermendig Jews emigrated from the country, three relocated within Germany and seven were eventually deported to the East. At least 23 Jews originally from Niedermendig perished in the Shoah. A memorial sculpture was later unveiled in Niedermendig (now part of the town of Mendig).
Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn Sources: AJ, EJL, BJGGRP, LZR, SG-RPS, SIA, YV
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