Online Archive of Jewish Communities

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.