Memorial at the Former Synagogue of Kempen
A memorial on Umstraße commemorates the Jewish community of Kempen and those of its members who were driven out or killed between 1933 and 1945. It stands near the site of the synagogue destroyed during the November Pogrom of 1938.
On Umstraße in Kempen, a memorial commemorates the town's former Jewish community and the fate of its members under National Socialist rule. It stands close to the site of the synagogue that was destroyed in 1938.
At a Glance
- Location
- Umstraße 15, 47906 Kempen
- Inaugurated
- 1982
- Purpose
- Remembering Kempen's Jewish community and the synagogue destroyed in 1938
- Design
- Brick base with metal plaques; relief of a Star of David and a seven-branched candelabrum (menorah)
- Former synagogue
- Built in brick in 1848–1849 at Umstraße/corner of Donkwall
- Destruction
- 10 November 1938
Jewish Life in Kempen
The first Jews are documented in Kempen in the 13th century, but this small community was wiped out by a pogrom in 1288. Jewish families settled again in the first half of the 14th century, only to be permanently expelled in 1385. It was not until around 1800 that a Jewish community can once more be traced; around 1808 it set up a prayer room at Judenstraße/corner of Schulstraße. Between 1848 and 1849, a brick synagogue was finally built at Umstraße/corner of Donkwall.
The Destruction in 1938
The first anti-Jewish riots occurred as early as 1933, and many Jewish families emigrated in the years that followed. On 10 November 1938, local SA members ransacked the synagogue and set it on fire, leaving it completely burned out. Jewish property in the town was destroyed afterwards. With the deportation of the last Jews in 1941 and 1942, the history of the Jewish community in Kempen came to an end; only one person survived: Kurt Mendel.
The Memorial
Inaugurated in 1982, the memorial stands not far from the former synagogue site. Two metal plaques are set on a brick base. The front bears a relief of a Star of David and a seven-branched candelabrum (menorah), with the German inscription meaning “Memorial to the former Jewish citizens of the town of Kempen.” The reverse lists the names of the families affected. Its inscription reads:
“We remember our Jewish fellow citizens who were driven out of our town or killed during the times of tyranny from 1933 to 1945. Anschel, Arkobia, Berghoff, Bruch, Falk, Goldschmidt, Hirsch, Lambertz, Mendel, Rath, Servos, Simona, Winter. On 10 November 1938 the synagogue of the Jewish religious community of Kempen was destroyed by arson.”
Visiting
The memorial is located at Umstraße 15 in the public street space and is freely accessible. It invites visitors to pause quietly at a place that keeps alive the memory of Kempen's Jewish community.
Map
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Address
Umstraße 15
47906 Kempen
Hours
So: 00:00–24:00
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Sources & links
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-07-29)
- commons.wikimedia.org (retrieved 2026-07-29)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-29
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