Mandel
General information: First Jewish presence: unknown; peak Jewish pop.: 75 in latter half of the 19th century (12% of the total population); Jewish population in 1933: 23
Summary: We do not know when Jews first settled in Mandel, but
records do tell us that 25 Jews lived there in 1808. In 1858,
the Jewish population of Mandel and of the neighboring
communities was 107.
The community consecrated a cemetery in 1820, and we
also know that a Jewish school was located on what used to be
Rathausstrasse. Mandel’s tiny synagogue, located between two
commercial buildings, is believed to have been founded in 1825.
On Pogrom Night, rioters vandalized the synagogue and
desecrated the cemetery; the synagogue building was later
razed. Most Mandel Jews moved to other towns in Germany
and perished in the Shoah. In all, 44 local Jews were deported.
Photo: The synagogue of Mandel shortly before it was demolished in 1960. Courtesy of: Unknown.
Author / Sources: Fred Gottlieb
Sources: EJL, LJG
Sources: EJL, LJG
Located in: rhineland-palatinate