Alex Lewin

This article is about Rabbi Alex Lewin. For other people see Alexander Lewin .

Alex Lewin (born October 5, 1888 in Adelsheim / Baden, † 1942 in the Auschwitz extermination camp ) was the last rabbi of the Oldenburg region of Birkenfeld .

Life

After graduating from high school in Tauberbischofsheim in 1908 , Lewin studied Semitic philology and philosophy in Berlin and Jewish religion at the College for the Science of Judaism . He interrupted his doctoral project at the University of Heidelberg in 1913 to take up a position as rabbinical administrator in Offenburg.

On October 10, 1914, he was drafted as an infantryman, but was seriously wounded on February 2, 1915 at Audry in France. After numerous operations, he was released from military service and passed the rabbinate examination. After the war he continued his doctoral studies in Heidelberg, where he received his doctorate on June 4, 1920.

In September 1920 he applied for the position of regional rabbi for the Birkenfeld part of the country and, after a trial sermon at the seat of the regional rabbi in Hoppstädten , was elected to this position with a unanimous decision by the Jewish regional council. On November 1, 1920, the appointment was made by the state government and on December 15, the oath was sworn with the formula: “ I swear allegiance to the imperial and state constitution, obedience to the laws and conscientious fulfillment of my official duties. So help me God. "

Lewin dealt with work on the Jews in the Birkenfeld region, produced archaeological works and carried out genealogical research on the Jewish Stern family from Hoppstädten.

During the inflation of 1923 , the few Jewish communities were no longer able to raise the levy on the cultural tax , which was also used to pay the state rabbi. The efforts to temporarily leave the state rabbi vacant until the economic situation improved again were not supported by the state government, which decided on the appointment and dismissal of the state rabbi, so that Lewin was able to remain in office mainly at the expense of the state.

With the election victory and the subsequent takeover of government by the National Socialists in the Oldenburg region of Birkenfeld, the contractually guaranteed state salary was no longer paid from April 1, 1933. Access to the state archives was banned from 1935, and when his apartment was looted on November 9, 1938 , his numerous manuscripts and documents relating to various research projects that had been started disappeared.

Immediately after November 9, 1938, Lewin was sent to the Dachau concentration camp , but released on December 9. Attempts were made to withdraw his doctorate from him. On January 27, 1939, he had to adopt the additional name "Israel" according to the Name Change Ordinance. The German citizenship was taken away from him on September 6, 1939th The reason given for this measure was that he had been a functionary for the SPD in September 1939 and had appeared in meetings for this party.

Lewin then went to France and was interned there. After the Gestapo had tracked him down there, he was deported to the Auschwitz death camp in 1942, where he probably perished that same year. Alexander Lewin was declared dead by a legally binding decision of the local court in Birkenfeld / Nahe on September 27, 1960 - II 8/60. December 31, 1945 was set as the date of death.

literature

• Karl-Josef Rumpel: State Rabbi Dr. Alex Lewin in: Local calendar of the Birkenfeld district 1969 . Pp. 177-179

Individual evidence

1. ^ Entry in the memorial book - Victims of the persecution of the Jews under the Nazi tyranny 1933–1945

Remarks

1. ^ Lewin was initially reported as dead in the Prussian loss list, issue 410, page 5402 of March 20, 1915. In issue 659, page 8448 of August 30, 1915, a correction was published according to which Lewin was not dead but wounded and returned to the troops.