Meiningen

Summary: Jews first settled in Meiningen in 1240, and records tell us that they flourished there for over a century. The community was massacred during the Black Death pogroms of 1348/49, after which the empty synagogue was converted into a chapel. Jews returned to Meiningen in the early 16th century, only to be expelled in 1566. Another Jewish presence was established there in the early 1800s, but it, too, was short-lived, for the community was decimated during the Hep Hep riots of 1819, a massacre that only one Meiningen Jew survived. The situation began to improve in the 1800s, so that by 1880 the Jewish community numbered nearly 450 members. This population increase necessitated the building of a large synagogue; inaugurated in 1883, the synagogue was so ornate that many congregants complained it reminded them of a church. The modern Jewish community was well-integrated into the life of the city. Gustav Strupp, a banker, served as chairman of both the Jewish community and the chamber of commerce. It was not until 1935 that the Nazis’ anti-Jewish legislation was implemented in Meiningen. On Pogrom Night, the Nazis plundered Jewish-owned businesses and murdered a number of Jews who were out in the street. The synagogue, badly damaged as a result of arson, was torn down shortly afterwards. In 1988, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the former synagogue site.

Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: DJKT, EJL, LJG, SIA