Kempen
General information: First Jewish presence: 1288; peak Jewish population: 116 in 1874; Jewish population in 1933: 83
Summary: In 1800, a few Jewish cattle traders settled in Kempen;
by 1812, a dozen Jewish families lived there. The
community established a cemetery (in use until
1942) and a Jewish private school in 1810 and 1826,
respectively. According to records, the old synagogue on
Judenstrasse (“Jews’ street”) was later replaced by a new
building on Umstrasse.
Although several local Jewish families were able to flee
Germany after 1933, most were still living there on Pogrom
Night (November 1938), when they helplessly watched the
SS burn down the synagogue. After the war, three of the
culprits were sentenced to prison terms.
At least 35 Kempen Jews perished in the Shoah. In 1960, a
memorial tablet listing the names of the victims was unveiled
at the former synagogue site.
Photo: The interior of the synagogue of Kempen. Courtesy of: Leo Baeck Institute, New York.
Author / Sources: Harold Slutzkin
Sources: LJG, SG-NRW
Sources: LJG, SG-NRW
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia