The origins of the modern community go back to the 17th/18th century. The Jewish community in Bernkastel was officially founded in 1853.
History of the cemeteries
The old Jewish cemetery was occupied from the 17th century until the creation of the new Jewish cemetery in 1866. The few remaining gravestones of the old cemetery were placed in the new cemetery. The new Jewish cemetery was built in 1866 and occupied from 1867 to 1932. There are about 33 gravestones preserved.
Next to the entrance gate, the following text can be read on a panel:
"Jewish cemetery. Since the Middle Ages, Bernkastel-Kues had its own Jewish community. In the middle of the 19th century up to 35 Jews lived in Bernkastel-Kues. The synagogue was located in Burgstraße No. 7. Jewish burial grounds were often not allowed in the vicinity of villages, as this was forbidden by the sovereign's order. This Jewish cemetery was built in 1866 after an old cemetery on the edge of the forest was closed for occupancy. Until the National Socialists seized power in 1933, the Jews lived largely assimilated here on the Moselle. The Jewish community in Bernkastel-Kues was also hard hit by the persecution during the National Socialist period. Some Jewish citizens emigrated, others were deported and died in the concentration camps. The synagogue was also destroyed. Since that time there has been no Jewish community in Bernkastel-Kues. Only the cemetery bears witness to the Jewish fellow citizens who once lived here."