Wallerstein, Bavaria
Wallerstein, Germany was photographed by James Derheim, European Focus Private Tours owner in April, 2017 while escorting a genealogist who was particularly interested in the Jewish history of this village. Those interested in more can fill out my New Project Request Form here: https://europeanancestryphotos.com/contact/
Wallerstein is a municipality and former principality in the district of Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany. It was first mentioned in 1238 as Steinheim. For generations ruled by the House of Oettingen-Wallerstein, in 1806 Wallerstein became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria by the process of mediatisation.
Story
Written records of Jews in Wallerstein date back to the Middle Ages. The Jewish cemetery was established in 1510. By the end of the Thirty Years’ War, this cemetery was the central Jewish burial ground in the County of Oettingen. Only Aufhausen had another cemetery serving the sub-county of Oettingen-Baldern.
After the demolition of the old synagogue in 1804, the Jews of Wallerstein built a new synagogue between 1806 and 1808, which was damaged and its interior destroyed in November 1938. The Jewish cemetery was also severely desecrated several times during the Nazi era; towards the end of the war, a large number of gravestones were removed and smashed. After the war, the remaining stones were returned and arbitrarily placed on the cleared area. The Tahara house (mortuary), located to the left of the entrance gate, was demolished in the autumn of 1974.
The cemetery today covers an area of 122.20 ares. It lies approximately 1 km east of Wallerstein, surrounded by meadows and fields. Of the original 900 gravestones, about 300 remain. In the center of the eastern section of the cemetery are five large graves of rabbis (Rabbi Marx Michael Kohn and David Weiskopf) and their female family members. Opposite the entrance, the large grave of Nathan Michael Ries and his mother Gala is particularly striking.
Traces of Jewish life
- Jewish cemetery, coming from Riegelstraße after the railway underpass, 86757 Wallerstein
- Plaque commemorating the synagogue, built between 1806 and 1808 and demolished in 1979, Hauptstraße 61
- contact Administrative Community of Wallerstein Tel.: 09081-27601
There is a memorial plaque in the Jewish Cemetery to an esteemed person.
- Background: Born on June 11, 1815, in Hainsfarth, he was a Jewish tanner who emigrated to America at age 18.
- Wealth: After starting as a peddler, he became a highly successful real estate dealer in the Minnesota Territory and later California, becoming one of San Francisco’s largest landowners.
- Philanthropy: Despite a reputation for extreme frugality, he donated the Prof. Lieber Library to the University of California, Berkeley in 1873 and left a massive fortune for charitable purposes, including the founding of the Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago.
- Death and Burial: He died in 1878 while visiting Germany. According to legend, he died of a stroke while giving a tip to the cemetery keeper in Wallerstein. He is buried in the Jewish cemetery in Wallerstein.
(Wikipedia)
