Metadata: Jewish Community Bochum; Jewish Community Dortmund; Jewish Community Hamm; Jewish Community Niedermarsberg
Collection
- Country:
- Germany
- Holding institution:
- New Synagogue Berlin - Centrum Judaicum Foundation, Archive
- Holding institution (official language):
- Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin - Centrum Judaicum, Archiv
- Postal address:
- Oranienburger Str. 28-30, 10117 Berlin
- Phone number:
- 0049-30-88028-425
- Web address:
- www.centrumjudaicum.de
- Reference number:
- CJA, 1 A Bo 2; 1 A Do 2; 1 A Ha 7; 1 A Ni 4
- Title:
- Jewish Community Bochum; Jewish Community Dortmund; Jewish Community Hamm; Jewish Community Niedermarsberg
- Title (official language):
- Jüdische Gemeinde Bochum; Jüdische Gemeinde Dortmund; Jüdische Gemeinde Hamm; Jüdische Gemeinde Niedermarsberg
- Creator/accumulator:
- Jewish Community Bochum (Synagogengemeinde Bochum); Jewish Community Hamm (Synagogengemeinde Hamm); Jewish Community Niedermarsberg (Synagogengemeinde Niedermarsberg); Central Archives of the German Jews (Gesamtarchiv der deutschen Juden)
- Date(s):
- 1813/1926
- Date note:
- 1813/1925 (1926)
- Language:
- German
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- 0.76 linear metres (53 archival units)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- Good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection of the synagogue community of Bochum comprises 33 files from the years 1833 and 1854-1913. The first series contains general files of the board of directors and the representatives, 1854-1889 (elections, meetings, correspondence, processes, membership in the Deutsch-Israelitischer Gemeindebund [German-Israelite Community Association] and the Alliance Israélite Universelle). Three files concern the community’s synagogue, especially the inauguration of the newly built synagogue on 28 August 1863, the installation of a new organ in 1878 and extensions to the synagogue, 1893-1896 (with architectural drawings). The first file contains a number of interesting documents, including the sermon given by Ludwig Philippson (1811-1889) for the inauguration of the synagogue (printed) and an entry ticket to the inauguration ceremony in 1863, order of service for the synagogue, and a list of community members entitled to vote from 1881 and the statute of the community from 1886 (pamphlet).
A further series contains financial and tax records, 1854-1906 (budget, income and expenditure, among others of the ‘Kultuskasse’ and the charity and cemetery funds, donations). In addition, there are files on the teachers, school and religious matters as well as charity, including minutes and donation lists from the Israelitischer Armenunterstützungsvereins [Israelite Poor Relief Association] and annual reports from the Zentralarmenverbandes für Westfalen [Central Poor Association for Westphalia], the Marks-Haindorf Foundation in Münster and the Israelite orphanage in Paderborn. The collection also includes a file with printed statutes and reports of the Verein Ferienkolonie für jüdische Kinder Bochum [Association of Holiday Colony for Jewish Children Bochum] (founded in 1905) from 1905-1913.
No archival records from the Jewish community of Dortmund have survived, only six folders with printed matter from 1899-1911, which come from the collections of the General Archives of German Jews. They primarily comprise material from the following associations: Israelitischer Wohltätigkeitsverein [Israelite charity association] “Chewra” (revised statutes from 1899 and 1909), Israelitischer Frauenverein zu Dortmund [Israelite Women’s Association of Dortmund] (statute from 1905), Verein für jüdische Krankenpflege in Westfalen [Association for Jewish nursing care in Westphalia] (statutes, 1909/10, and annual reports for 1909-1912), Verein Israelitisches Kinderheim für Westfalen und angrenzende Bezirke in Bad Sassendorf [Association Israelite Children’s Home for Westphalia and neighbouring districts in Bad Sassendorf], Dortmund (statutes from 1908, annual report for 1911), Verein Israelitisches Altersheim in Westfalen [Association Israelite Retirement Home in Westphalia] (statutes from 1905, annual reports for 1904-1912).
There are eight files from the community of Hamm, dating from 1813-1899. In addition to general files from 1836-1899 (statutes and synagogue regulations, rulings, board of directors and representatives, legal matters, appeals for donations) there is a file on the construction of the synagogue, 1857-1868, and a file with school matters, 1884-1895 (especially instructions and finance). The remaining files concern the income and expenses of the community (budget, cash books, accounts), including a notebook in Hebrew script on income from contributions and expenses for poor relief and religious purposes, 1813-1839. The collection also includes a newspaper article on the history of the Jews in Hamm and the Duchy of Mark from 1926, which was sent to the general archive.
The collection of the community of Niedermarsberg include six files from1894-1925. In addition to a file relating to the board of directors, 1897-1922 (meetings of the board of directors and representatives as well as community assemblies, staff matters of the teachers, synagogue regulations, supply of kosher food and matzot, printed matter of various associations) there are accounts and note books on income and expenses of the community for the years 1893/94 to 1923.
There are separate descriptions for the collections of the communities of Hagen and Hohenlimburg and Soest.
- Archival history:
- The files of the synagogue communities of Bochum, Hamm and Niedermarsberg were part of the former Gesamtarchiv der deutschen Juden [General Archive of German Jews]. The printed items were kept in the general archive in a separate collection (Collection Süßmann). In 1996 the Federal Archives transferred the holdings to the archive of the New Synagogue Berlin Foundation - Centrum Judaicum.
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
The duchy of Mark, in which Bochum, Hamm and Hagen were located, came to Brandenburg-Prussia in the 17th century through an inheritance division. Jews were already living in Hamm and probably Bochum in the Middle Ages; the new sovereign of Brandenburg supported resettlement in the duchy of Mark. At times Hamm was the seat of the head of the ‘Judenschaft’ [a self-governing institution] of Mark. At the end of the 18th century, twelve Jewish families lived there.
Under French rule the duchy’s territory belonged to the Grand Duchy of Berg, in 1813 it was returned to Prussia and after 1815 it became part of the Province of Westphalia.
Jews lived in Bochum continuously from the 17th century; in 1789 there were eleven Jewish families. In 1840 there were 144 Jews, after which the community grew rapidly. A newly built synagogue was inaugurated in August 1863. Before the First World War, the community had around 1,000 members and around 1,200 before 1933, making it the third largest Jewish community in Westphalia. Bochum was also the seat of the Zentralarmenverband [Central Poor Relief Association], which was established by several Westphalian communities after 1880 and looked after the so-called “Wanderarmen" [“itinerant poor”].
In Hamm there were 73 Jews in 1840. Around 1900 the community had almost 300 members and before the First World War around 400. In 1868 the community of Hamm built a new synagogue.
With the Prussian law on the conditions of the Jews of 1847, the communities became public corporations, which were now constituted as synagogue communities.
Dortmund, which was a free imperial city until 1803, was an important imperial seat of power and trading centre (Hanseatic city) in the Middle Ages, where Jews settled early on. There is evidence of permanent settlement from 1241 onwards, but there were several expulsions (most recently at the end of the 16th century). In 1808 the city was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Berg and finally became part of Prussia in 1813/15. Jews did not again settle permanently in Dortmund until 1809. Eleven families lived here by 1818, and 121 Jews in 1840. With the industrialisation in the Ruhr valley, the community grew rapidly. In 1890 it had over 1,300 members, before the First World War around 2,700, before 1933 over 3,800.
Niedermarsberg belonged to the Duchy of Westphalia, whose sovereign was the Archbishops of Cologne until 1802. Jews lived in the area of what is now Marsberg from the 17th century; around 1700 there were 17 families. From 1802 to 1816 the duchy’s territory belonged to the Landgraviate of Hessen-Darmstadt and then fell to Prussia, which incorporated it into the newly formed province of Westphalia. The old Westphalian residence town of Arnsberg became the seat of government. In 1840 there were 99 Jews in Niedermarsberg, in 1880 there were 147 (out of over 3,000 inhabitants). Before the First World War, the community had over 100 members, around 1932 it had 90. Since 1975 Niedermarsberg has been part of the newly formed town of Marsberg.
- Access points: locations:
- Arnsberg
- Hamm
- Niedermarsberg
- Access points: persons/families:
- Philippson, Ludwig
- Finding aids:
- An online finding aid exists.
- Links to finding aids:
- www.findbuch.net
- Yerusha Network member:
- Centrum Judaicum
- Author of the description:
- Barbara Welker (with Isabel Iselt); Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin - Centrum Judaicum; 2019-2020
