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Origin and history

The Jewish school of Diemeringen, located on 9 rue du Vin, was built between 1853 and 1862 to meet the educational needs of the local Jewish community, which was expanding in the 19th century. The work, slowed down by financial difficulties, resulted in a modest building including a classroom, a mikvé ( ritual bath) and the teacher's housing. The facades and roof, as well as the classroom and mikvé, have been protected since 1999.

The Jewish community of Diemeringen, already important in the 18th century, experienced a significant population growth in the 19th century. In 1867, the construction of a new synagogue accompanied the sale of the Jewish school in 1906, after the burning of the synagogue, to finance its restoration. The municipality then bought the school, renting it symbolically to the community for a franc, provided that it maintained it. The recently released mikvé still bears witness to the importance of ritual practices in this school.

The building, owned by the municipality, illustrates the Jewish community organization in Alsace in the 19th century, where schools and places of worship were often linked. Its sober architecture, with sandstone slabs adorning the mikve, reflects both the budgetary constraints of the time and the concern to respect traditions. The registration of historical monuments in 1999 allowed to preserve this heritage, symbol of rural Jewish life in Alsace.

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