This year, Germany celebrates 1700 years of Jewish life. The oldest mention dates back to an edict by Emperor Constantin from the year 321, stipulating that Cologne Jews could and should serve in the city administration. The life of a religious minority within a Christian society was never without challenges. Periods of coexistence and good neighborhood were undermined by draconian laws, persecution and outbursts of violence directed against Jews. Once we zoom in on one community, we see similarities and differences. There are about 2,000 Jewish cemeteries in Germany, an indication of the long heritage of Jewish heritage between Elbe and Rhine. The small city of Bruehl (45,000 inhabitants), once the residence of powerful Archbishop and Kurfuerst Clemens August (1700-1761), had a vibrant Jewish community as well. As is common for post-Nazi Germany, you need to visit the cemetery to find out more. Let’s have a look.
A touch of California: Redwood trees line the graves, The cemetery dates back to 1371.Access allowed: the city takes care of the site and welcomes visitorsJews had been living in Bruehl ever since the city was founded before 1285.Between 50 to 170 Jews lived in Bruehl, according to official accounts. About 90 grave markers remain on a plot of 4,000 square meters. The size makes it one of the largest remaining Jewish cemeteries in the Rhineland.Jews were cattle or horse traders, ran butcher shops and textile stores. They were eventually the target of a boycott campaign by local Nazi fanaticsMost markers (Mazuwot) date back to the years 1880-1914. The oldest Mazuwot is from 1746, the most recent from 1946.In 1938 the Jewish synagogue was burned down.Veterinarian Samuel Levy became head of the local slaughterhouse and earned the distinguished title “Oberstabsveterinaer”, indicating the rank of a serving officer in the military.This Mazuwot commemorates Johanna Kaufmann, owner of a butcher shop, who died in 1892. It calls her the “tiara of her husband and the pride of her children”The plot of the cemetery lies just outside the medieval city boundaries.The Jewish cemetery occupies a small corner lot near a busy intersection. It is quite close to the Schloss Augustusburg and the pedestrian zone. In October 1944, the Nazis deported all the Jews living in Bruehl. Approximately 65 men, women and children were murdered. A Jewish community does not exist today here. But the city offers events commemorating the Jewish heritage and marks the destruction of the synagogue with a nighttime vigil every year. An online database preserves the memory of every single person mentioned on the markers and combines all the evidence on their lives.
