Zell/Mosel
General information: First Jewish presence: 14th century; peak Jewish population: 74 in 1850; Jewish population in 1933: unknown
Summary: Jews were first mentioned in Zell during the Black Death
pogroms of 1348/49, after which records are silent about a
Jewish presence there until the 18th century. Other available
Jewish population figures for Zell are 37 in 1822, 33 in 1925
and 70 in 1930. By 1942, all Jews had left Zell.
In 1850, the community established a small prayer hall
in a section of an old, local castle. Later, as more Jews settled
in Zell, the community decided to build a new synagogue;
construction was halted with the outbreak of World War I, and
the partially completed structure was auctioned off; the money
used to renovate the original synagogue. The Jews of Zell also
maintained a cemetery, a ritual bath and a school for religious
studies, whose teacher served as the chazzan and shochet.
The interior of the synagogue was destroyed on Pogrom
Night (November 1938), but its exterior was not torched
for fear of damaging the castle. The Jewish community was
dissolved in 1939. Those who did not manage to escape
Germany perished in the Shoah.
Restoration of the synagogue building was completed in
2003; the site now serves as a memorial.
Author / Sources: Fred Gottlieb
Sources: EJL, LJG, SG-RPS
Sources: EJL, LJG, SG-RPS
Located in: rhineland-palatinate