Kobern

Summary: It was not until 1906 that the Jewish community of Kobern, of which the Jews of Gondorf and Lehmen were members, was officially founded. The Jews of Kobern established a cemetery in 1585 (at the latest), a synagogue in 1768 and a new synagogue at some point during the 19th century. After 1902, local Jews and those of three nearby communities employed a teacher of religion, who also performed the duties of chazzan and shochet. In 1932, a Jewish wine merchant by the name of Max Wolff established a welfare center in Kobern; the center, which was run by Catholic nuns, housed a medical clinic, a kindergarten and a sewing school. Twelve Jewish schoolchildren received religious instruction in 1933. The community, however, was disbanded that year, and no Jews lived in Gondorf by 1936/37. Wolff’s welfare center was seized by the Nazis and converted into a local headquarters known as the “Brown House.” The synagogue was set on fire on Pogrom Night, but the local fire brigade extinguished the blaze. Not willing to give up, the rioters tried again, this time using desecrated holy books as fuel; a large crowd made sure that the fire brigade did not prevent the building from burning down. Jewish homes were ransacked on Pogrom Night. Thirteen Kobern Jews were deported to the East in March 1942; more were deported in July of that year. At least 35 Jews from Kobern and Gondorf perished in the Shoah. A workshop was later built on the former synagogue site.

Author / Sources: Nurit Borut
Sources: FJG, KGVZ, YV