Cochem
Jews are mentioned in Cochem as early as 1242 — first as royal, later as Trier chamber serfs. A continuous community, however, can only be documented from the early 19th century onwards: in 1808, 42 Jewish persons lived in the town.
From 1860 the Cochem community’s synagogue stood in the Oberbachstraße, supplemented in 1897 by a small school building next door. According to the records of Yad Vashem and the German Gedenkbuch (memorial book), 38 Jewish residents of Cochem were murdered in the Shoah.
Zell on the Moselle
In Zell, the synagogue stood in the immediate vicinity of Zell Castle. During the November Pogrom of 1938 the interior of the Zell synagogue was destroyed by SA members from Traben-Trarbach; arson was avoided because of the risk of fire spreading to neighbouring buildings. 27 Jews from Zell were murdered in the Shoah.
Further communities in the Cochem-Zell area
Up to the 20th century, the Cochem-Zell region was home to several other smaller Jewish communities — in Beilstein (separate page), Bruttig-Fankel, Ediger-Eller, Merl and others. All shared a similar fate: gradual migration to the cities in the 19th century and annihilation during the Nazi era. The Jewish cemetery in Cochem has been preserved and documented.