In Mainz there was a significant Jewish community initially in the Middle Ages, which was established in the 10th century. Possibly, there was already a Jewish settlement in the city in Roman times . With the beginning of the Crusades 1096 began the period of terrible persecutions: Several times a large part of the Mainz Jewish community was cruelly massacred. The Jewish community administration was in the hands of the Judenrat, at the head of which stood a Judenbischof appointed by the archbishop.

The Magdeburg synagogue community after 1945

After the end of the Nazi regime, only 90 members remained in the Magdeburg synagogue community. 1,500 members were murdered, the rest were able to emigrate before 1939. One of the few survivors was Magdeburg-born Gyula Grosz (1878-1959), a Jewish doctor who was known for his commitment to workers. He survived as a "health care provider" for patients from so-called "mixed marriages" and was able to classify those threatened with deportation as unfit for transport by forging certificates, thereby saving them.