The Jews were settled in Cerneți even before the foundation of the city Severin, however there were only 12 families and they didn’t have any religious or school organization.
After the foundation of the city Severin there came, however, especially from the Balkan cities, many Spanish Jews, and from the rest of the country or from Austria – Hungary, Jews of “German confession”. The Jewish community from Turnu Severin was formed in the second half of the XIXth century, from the Jews of Spanish confession who came from the Balkan Peninsula and from other parts of Romania or from the former Austria – Hungarian Empire – the ones of German confession.
The religious institutions were founded, however, only at Turnu Severin, after they were approved the rights of land possession, following the war from 1877 – 1878. In the city Turnu – Severin, the existent Jews belonged to two confessions: Spanish and German. The community of Spanish confession numbered 64 families, who summed up 64 men, 78 women, 40 girls and 17 children. The community of German confession numbered 82 paying members and 176 souls.
As for the prosperity state is concerned, it is remembered the fact that after the war their number much increased in comparison with what once was. Their number was in a continuous increase – either by births, either by coming from others parts, making annually new conquests in the commerce of the city.
In the year 1881, on the 7th of June, the Israeli – German community, by their representative Ignat Sorunger and Iacob Weiss, ask the permission of building a temple on the place with no. 217, blue color, in the center of the city.
The synagogue was built, but the two Jewish branches – of Spanish confession and of German confession – remained further on separated.
The synagogue was formed from only one body of the building on a rectangular plan. The façade was New – Gothical, but in its superior part appears a border with the clovers of Neo – Romanic style. The interior had a basilica aspect with three naves backed by tribunes in the shape of clovers, and the ceiling was cased, in Neo-Renascent style. The shrine placed in the eastern part of the construction was in the shape of semi-circular apse.
A few years ago, the only Jewish place of worship from Drobeta – Turnu Severin was transformed in a notary and law office, after the Federation of the Community of Jews from Romania sold the building to the Ilinca family. According to the Direction of Statistics Mehedinți, in the county Mehedinți there still live now 11 Jews. During the period of the Jewish exodus in Israel, many of them left from Mehedinți, therefore after 1996 the community wasn’t recorded officially any more.
