Gemuend
General information: First Jewish presence: 16th or 17th century; peak Jewish population: 88 in 1895; Jewish population in 1933: 34
Summary: Very few Jews lived in Gemuend before the 18th century. It was
not until the 19th century, in fact, when Jews from neighboring
towns joined the Gemuend community, that the congregation
began to experience significant growth. Religious services were
conducted in a private residence, and records suggest that the
community may have maintained a mikveh.
In 1874, after overcoming financial difficulties—Gemuend
Jews were mainly cattle dealers and butchers—the community inaugurated a synagogue on Muehlenstrasse; in celebration of
this achievement, local Jews decorated the streets with flags. We
also know that between 1845 and 1942, burials were conducted
at the Jewish cemetery on Koelner Strasse.
On Pogrom Night, non-local SA men destroyed the
synagogue’s interior and burned down the building. Records
indicate that several Jewish families fled to Belgium. Others
moved to larger cities from which they were eventually
deported to the East; the Gemuend community chairman
perished in Auschwitz.
In 1979, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the former
synagogue site. A memorial stone, which lists the names of
the 13 Shoah victims from the area, was unveiled at the Jewish
cemetery in 1988. (The cemetery was not severely damaged
during the Nazi period.)
Photo: Demolition of the ruins of the former synagogue of Gemuend in 1942. Courtesy of: Hans-Dieter Arntz, Euskirchen.
Author / Sources: Beate Grosz-Wenker
Sources: EJL, LJG, SG-NRW
Sources: EJL, LJG, SG-NRW
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia