The beginnings of Jewish life in Mainbernheim date back to the late Middle Ages. In the first half of the 19th century, the modern community, which had emerged at the end of the 17th century, prospered. In 1837, there were 140 Jewish people in Mainbernheim. This corresponded to 8.6% of the population.
At this time, Louis Liebenstein (born in Hüttenheim in 1843) settled in Mainbernheim and founded a wine wholesale business in 1865. He married Therese Stahl from Sommerhausen in 1869. Two sons, Justin (born 1878) and Leon (born 1881), continued to run the wine business.
The family must have been very well integrated and respected, as father and sons were members of the "Königlich privilegierten Schützengesellschaft Mainbernheim".
Two targets donated by Justin and Leon Liebenstein have been preserved in the shooting target collection. Both targets date from 1910. The target given by Justin Liebenstein shows his portrait in the middle, his business premises at the top left, the "Upper Gate" at the bottom left and the "Lower Gate" at the bottom right.
In the 19th and early 20th century, the coexistence of Jewish and Christian people in the small town was fairly problem-free, as long as the rules were observed. Jewish people joined associations, such as the shooting club or the fire department, not least in order to use this position to expand their own networks and consolidate their social position. Jewish origin and religion played no role in club life.
This changed abruptly when the National Socialists began to ostracize and humiliate Jewish people in 1933. Another target in the collection shows the portraits of 6 deceased Schützenbrüder. The name of one portrait has been made unrecognizable - it is of the Jewish wine merchant Louis Liebenstein, who died in 1908.
From 1938, all Jews in the German Reich had to adopt the additional Jewish compulsory name "Sara" or "Israel". The National Socialist authorities had begun labeling Jews, who also had to carry an "identification card".
The two brothers Justin and Leon Liebenstein also had to use these compulsory names. Their identification cards were issued by the authorities in Mainz, where they had moved in the meantime.
