Muehringen

General information: First Jewish presence: 1570; peak Jewish population: 512 in 1846; Jewish population in 1933: 45
Summary: Muehringen was one of the main Jewish communities in South-West Germany during the early 1700s. In 1728, the community inaugurated a synagogue and appointed a rabbi. Nathanael Weil, author of an important Talmudic commentary, was associated with the Muehringen community. In 1810, local Jews inaugurated a new synagogue with a seating capacity of 500. Other communal institutions included a school (1825-1914) and a cemetery, the latter of which—it was the largest in Wuerttemberg—was consecrated on Totenhau in the mid-16th century In 1933, several Jewish associations, mainly charitable ones, and a children’s sanatorium were operating in Muehringen. On Pogrom Night, SA men destroyed the synagogue’s interior and burned Torah scrolls and ritual objects; windows in Jewish homes and businesses were smashed, and several local Jews were sent to Dachau. The community was disbanded in March 1939. Sixteen local Jews emigrated, 16 died in Muehringen and 11 (all of whom had previously been moved into one house) were deported in 1942. At least 36 Muehringen Jews perished in the Shoah. In 1943, the synagogue was rented out to the Mauser armaments factory. Later damaged by artillery, the dilapidated building was demolished in 1960. The site, now a parking lot and a public garden, contains a memorial stone (unveiled in 1983). The cemetery houses a memorial monument.
Author / Sources: Heike Zaun Goshen
Sources: AH, AJ, EJL, HU, PK-BW
Located in: baden-wuerttemberg