Mehring
General information: First Jewish presence: 1663; peak Jewish population: 57 in 1885; Jewish population in 1933: approximately 30
Summary: Mehring’s 19th-century Jewish community established two
communal institutions: a cemetery, located on the western
edge of the village, and a synagogue at 16, Kirchstrasse (next
door to a pastor’s home). The first floor of the synagogue
building housed a school for religious studies whose teacher
performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. The community
also maintained a mikveh, but we do not know when or
where it was built.
In 1933, by which point the seven Jews of nearby Fell had
been affiliated with the Mehring community, approximately
30 Jews still lived in Mehring.
Ownership of the synagogue was transferred to the
municipality in 1936. By the fall of 1938, all Jews had left the
village, a fact that did not prevent the Nazis from destroying
the former synagogue building on Pogrom Night. At least
eight Jews originally from Mehring perished in the Shoah.
A kindergarten and library were later established inside
the former synagogue. After 1945, however, the building was
converted into a residential property. A memorial stone has
been unveiled in the Jewish cemetery, which was desecrated
and plundered during the Nazi period.
Author / Sources: Heike Zaun Goshen
Sources: AJ, EJL, FJG
www.mehring-mosel.de
Located in: rhineland-palatinate