Altona Jewish cemetery

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Altona Jewish Cemetery Entrance: Königstr. 10a
Ashkenazi gravestones
Sephardic tent graves

The Altona Jewish Cemetery , also known as the Königstrasse Jewish Cemetery or, based on the Sephardic part of the cemetery, the Portuguese Cemetery on Königstrasse , was established in 1611 and closed in 1877. Due to its size of 1.9 hectares, its age and the large number of intact tombstones (around 7,600 of 8,474 that were counted when the cemetery was closed in 1869), it is considered to be one of the most important Jewish burial grounds in the world.

Members of the Jewish communities from Altona and Hamburg were buried here: Sephardi originally of Spanish-Portuguese origin and Ashkenazim , Central and Eastern European Jews.

history

On May 31, 1611, Portuguese Jews from Hamburg acquired a piece of land from Count Ernst III. of Holstein-Schauenburg and Sterneberg on the Altonaer Heuberg as a cemetery. The Designatio Articulorum passed by the Hamburg Senate on February 19, 1612 , upon which E. E. Rath compared himself with the Portuguese nation and took it under protection and protection , refers to it under No. 17: “Did the nation also want to take its dead to Altonahe or elsewhere let, the same should be allowed such with the prior knowledge and consent of the mayor holding the word. "

Shortly afterwards, the Altona high German Jewish community acquired a burial site in the immediate vicinity. Nothing is said about this in the Count's letter of protection of May 5, 1612. The first burial took place in 1616. In the general privilege of the Danish King Christian IV of August 1, 1641, it then says, “that they have a synagogue, must practice their worship according to the Jewish ritibus, and also have to keep their church yard in it, in Jewish white, to bury their dead.” In in 1668, 1710, 1745 and 1806 the Ashkenazi part of the cemetery was expanded and grew more and more together with the Portuguese cemetery. Between 1812 and 1835 Jews from Hamburg were buried in the "Hamburg part" of the Ashkenazi cemetery.

In the 19th century, the majority of the inner-city burial grounds (church yards) were closed in favor of cemeteries on the outskirts, as reminded by the gravestones that are placed at the western end of the nearby Struenseestrasse . However, the Jewish cemeteries on Königstrasse remained intact even after they were officially closed in 1869. In exceptional cases, burials took place on Ashkenazi hereditary burials up to 1871, on the Portuguese part until 1877. When the cemetery was closed in 1869, there were tombs in the Portuguese cemetery in 1806, in the Ashkenazi cemetery in the Altona part 6000 and in the Hamburg part 668.

The tombstones

In the Sephardic part of the Jewish cemetery on Königstrasse in Hamburg-Altona

Only one person was buried per grave. The Sephardic tombs are horizontal slabs or tent-shaped stones. Iconic signs such as a jug, blessing hands or a hand with a quill are often depicted on the upright Ashkenazi gravestones. The tombs are made of marble, limestone or sandstone. Around 200 were demolished in 1939 for a sports field that still exists today on the cemetery grounds. Further destruction was caused by vibrations and fragments flying around during Operation Gomorrah , vibrations from the underground S-Bahn , vandalism and theft.

Monument and research

The cemetery has been a listed building since 1960.

After Michael Studemund-Halévy published the approximately 1,600 Sephardic funerary inscriptions, either in full or in fragments, in 2000 , the Salomon Ludwig Steinheim Institute for German-Jewish History, Duisburg, then recorded the 5,936 Ashkenazi funerary inscriptions until 2006 and included them Photographs, transcriptions of the original Hebrew texts and translations into German on the Internet.

Hamburg Altona Jewish cemetery; Gravestone of Heinrich Heine's father
Gravestone of Jacob Emden (1776)

New research was started in 2013 by the Judaist Dan Bondy on the "Hamburg part", which was thought to have perished after the bombing in World War II. They led to the rediscovery of numerous stones and fragments, the re-erection and restoration of which will continue under the aegis of the Monument Protection Office, the Stiftung Denkmalpflege Hamburg and the Stattbau Hamburg after Dan Bondy's findings are available. A tombstone was also found for Samson Heine (1764–1828), Heinrich Heine's father , which is not the original tomb but a representative stone that was probably only set by relatives or friends of the poet after the cemetery was closed in 1869. This is suggested by the exclusively German inscription and the name Samson Heine as "Father Heinrich Heine's", who could also be remembered in this way, although he had converted to Christianity.

The tombstone of Fromet Mendelssohn (1737–1812), Moses Mendelssohn's widow , which has only survived in fragments , was put up again in 2009 with additions. The tombs of Rabbis Jonathan Eybeschütz , Jacob Emden and Jakob Ettlinger have also been preserved in the cemetery .

Eduard Duckesz Fellow

The Altona Jewish Cemetery is one of eleven Jewish cemeteries in Hamburg. Systematic research into this important cemetery began with the publication of "Portuguese graves on German soil" by Rabbi Max Grunwald (Hamburg 1902). As part of the Eduard Duckesz Fellowship funded by the Hermann Reemtsma Foundation , the cemetery was filmed tombstone by tombstone by the Spanish filmmaker Ainhoa ​​Montoya Arteabaro in 2013 and the systematic photo documentation was created by the photographer Jürgen Faust. On the basis of the epitaphs , Michael Studemund-Halévy wrote the comprehensive Biographical Lexicon of the Hamburg Sefarden (Hamburg 2000). Together with the historian Gaby Zürn he wrote a thorough history of this cemetery (Do not destroy the memory. The Jewish cemetery Königstrasse in Hamburg - Hamburg 3rd edition 2010). Michael Studemund-Halévy has been researching the Jewish symbols since 2010 in connection with the Sephardic cemeteries in the Caribbean. The new database SEFARDAT will record the relevant data of all Sephardic and Ashkenazi graves in Hamburg. Michael Studemund-Halévy donated a stumbling block and a portrait (artist: Otto Quirin ) for Rabbi Eduard Duckesz, who was murdered on March 6, 1944 in Auschwitz, as well as over 1000 books for the Eduard Duckesz Library. The Eduard Duckesz Prize , donated by Michael Studemund-Halévy, is awarded every two years to outstanding researchers: 2012: Dov Cohen [Jerusalem]; 2014: Tina Walzer [Vienna]; 2016: CM Kosemen [Istanbul], 2019: Tania García Arevalo [Granada]

Hamburg Monument Preservation Foundation

The Eduard Duckesz House with a lecture room, library and work room as well as sanitary rooms at the entrance to the cemetery was inaugurated in November 2007. Since then, the cemetery can be visited.

Application as UNESCO World Heritage

On June 12, 2014, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) decided to put the cemetery in second place in Category 1 - of exceptional universal value and belonging to a hitherto underrepresented category - on the so-called tentative list of sites that Germany will be enrolling in as of 2016 UNESCO World Heritage List are to be nominated. The application was originally supposed to be made as an "international serial nomination" with the Republic of Suriname , which put the Jewish settlement Jodensavanne and the Cassipora cemetery there on the tentative list in 1998 . A possible cooperation with the Beth Haim cemetery (Ouderkerk aan de Amstel) for a serial application did not materialize. After a decision by the Senate, Hamburg will submit the application alone. A decision is not expected until mid-2018 at the earliest. As it became known in January 2018, Hamburg will withdraw its application and perhaps submit a new application together with Amsterdam and the Caribbean Islands.

Movies

literature

  • Oliver Breitfeld, Michael Studemund-Halévy, Almut Weinland: 400 years of the Königstrasse Jewish cemetery. ConferencePoint Verlag, Hamburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-936406-18-4 .
  • Michael Brocke (Ed.): Hidden Splendor. The Hamburg-Altona Jewish cemetery. Ashkenazi tombs. Sandstein, Dresden 2009, ISBN 978-3-940319-33-3 .
  • Michael Brocke, Christiane Müller: House of Life, Jewish cemeteries in Germany. Reclam, Leipzig 2001, ISBN 3-379-00777-3 .
  • Jürgen Faust, Michael Studemund-Halévy: Betahaim. Sephardic cemeteries in Schleswig-Holstein. Augustin, Glückstadt 1994, ISBN 3-87030-121-X .
  • Peter Freimark: Jewish cemeteries in the Hamburg area. In: Journal of the Association for Hamburg History . 67: 117-132 (1981). (on-line)
  • Max Grunwald : Portuguese graves on German soil. Jansen, Hamburg 1902.
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy (Ed.): Sefarden in Hamburg. On the history of a minority. Two volumes. Busse, Hamburg 1994 and 1997, ISBN 3-87548-048-1 and ISBN 3-87548-099-6 .
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy: Biographical Lexicon of the Hamburg Sephardic Islands. The grave inscriptions of the Portuguese cemetery on Königstrasse in Hamburg-Altona. Christians, Hamburg 2000, ISBN 3-7672-1293-5 .
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy: La mort de Sara et la source de Miriam. In: Materia Giudaica. Volume XI, 2 (2005), pp. 353-363. Extract from google books
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy: The Persistence of Images. Reproductive Sources in the History of Sephardi Sepulchral Art. In: Yosef Ksaplan (Ed.): The Dutch Intersection (= Brill's series in Jewish studies. Volume 38). Brill, Leiden 2008, ISBN 978-90-04-14996-0 , pp. 123-137.
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy: Theatrum Sefardicum. Representative images and elaborate epitaphs. In: Michael Brocke (ed.): Hidden splendor. The Jewish cemetery Hamburg-Altona - Ashkenazi tombs. Sandstein, Dresden 2009, pp. 143–152.
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy, Gabriele Zürn: Don't destroy memories. The Jewish cemetery Koenigstrasse in Hamburg. 3rd, improved and enlarged edition. Dölling and Galitz Verlag, Munich et al. 2010, ISBN 978-3-937904-05-4 .
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy: Limitless and globalized. Sephardic funerary art in the Old and New World. In: Claudia Theune, Tina Walzer (eds.): Jewish cemeteries. Place of worship, place of remembrance, memorial. Böhlau, Vienna 2011, ISBN 978-3-205-78477-7 , pp. 131–170.
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy: Beyond death. Sephardic funerary art in the Old and New World. In: Jewish cemeteries and burial culture in Europe. International conference, Berlin-Weißensee, 3. – 6. April 2011 = Jewish cemeteries and burial culture in Europe. Bäßler, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-930388-25-7 , pp. 170-179. (Digitized version)
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy: The long road to becoming a world heritage site. The Portuguese cemetery on Königstrasse. In: Hans-Jörg Czech, Vanessa Hirsch, Franklin Kopitzsch (eds.): 350 years of Altona. From the award of city rights to the New Center (1664–2014). Sandstein, Dresden 2015, ISBN 978-3-95498-171-7 , pp. 84–95.
  • Andreas Wirsching : Jewish cemeteries in Germany 1933–1957. In: Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte . Volume 50 (2002), pp. 1-40 (PDF)
  • Jenny v. Wirschky: Under the stones. An interview with Michael Studemund-Halévy. In: SCENE. 6, 2018, pp. 42–44,
  • Michael Batz , Igor Zeller: At the waters of Altona. Sequence to the Jewish cemetery in Königstrasse. E&F Edition, Hamburg 2018, ISBN 978-3-9820406-0-8 .

Web links

Commons : Jüdischer Friedhof Königstrasse, Hamburg-Altona (Sephardic part)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Jüdischer Friedhof Königstrasse, Hamburg-Altona (Ashkenazi part)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ^ Hans Reils: Contributions to the oldest history of the Jews in Hamburg. In: Journal of the Association for Hamburg History. Volume 2 (1847), pp. 357-424, here: p. 375. (online)
  2. ↑ Quoted from Peter Freimark: Jewish cemeteries in the Hamburg area. In: Journal of the Association for Hamburg History. Volume 67 (1981), pp. 117–132, here: p. 119. ( online ) Cf. Günter Marwedel (Ed.): Die Privilegien der Juden in Altona. Hamburg 1976, p. 134.
  3. ↑ Frank Pieter Hesse: The Jewish cemetery Altona / Königstrasse short statement 20./21. November 2009 (PDF; 740 kB).
  4. ^ Peter Freimark: Jewish cemeteries in the Hamburg area. In: Journal of the Association for Hamburg History. Volume 67 (1981), pp. 117-132, here: p. 119. (online)
  5. ↑ Roman Davidsohn: Weathered, Mossy and Forgotten. DIE ZEIT 19/1989, zeit.de
  6. ↑ On a journey into the past ... In: Hohenfelder Bürgererverein von 1883 r. V., districts of Hohenfelde and Uhlenhorst (ed.): Rundschau 3/2018, pp. 13-14. Author abbreviation Kr .; Available soon at epub.sub.uni-hamburg.de
  7. ^ Peter Freimark: Jewish cemeteries in the Hamburg area. In: Journal of the Association for Hamburg History. Volume 67 (1981), pp. 117-132, here: p. 120. (online)
  8. ^ Michael Studemund-Halévy: Biographical Lexicon of the Hamburg Sefarden. The grave inscriptions of the Portuguese cemetery on Königstrasse in Hamburg-Altona. Hamburg 2000.
  9. ↑ Current status: 5996 inscriptions database at steinheim-institut.de
  10. ^ New research results on the Hamburg part of the Jewish cemetery in Altona . Press release from the cultural authority and the Monument Preservation Foundation on April 7, 2014 pdf ; Samson Heine's tombstone
  11. ^ Matthias Gretzschel: Fromet Mendelssohn's grave reconstructed . In: Hamburger Abendblatt . May 5, 2009.
    Inscription of the tombstone with translation from steinheim-institut.de hha-5040, 1812
  12. ↑ Inscription of the Eibeschütz tombstone with translation at steinheim-institut.de hha-1593, 1764
  13. ↑ Inscription of the grave stone Emden with translation at steinheim-institut.de hha-1586, 1776
  14. ↑ Inscription of the Ettlinger tombstone with translation at.steinheim-institut.de hha-4210, 1871
  15. ^ Jewish cemetery Altona: Friedhofsdatenbanken
  16. ↑ Standing Conference of the Ministers of Culture of the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK): Future nominations for World Heritage selected from Germany , press release of June 12, 2014. The KMK thus followed the recommendations of the eleven-member advisory board it had appointed. Standing Conference of the Ministers of Culture of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK): Final report
  17. ↑ World cultural heritage Altona Jewish cemetery
  18. ↑ Protestant press service : Jewish cemetery is to become a world cultural heritage. The UNESCO committee could decide on admission in mid-2018 . In: Jüdische Allgemeine . October 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ Altona Jewish Cemetery: World Heritage Application withdrawn. Süddeutsche Zeitung , January 29, 2018, accessed on August 5, 2020 .

Coordinates: 53 ° 33 ′ 0 ″  N , 9 ° 57 ′ 0 ″  E