Metadata: Ignatz Reich papers
Collection
- Country:
- Sweden
- Holding institution:
- The Jewish Museum of Stockholm
- Holding institution (official language):
- Judiska museet
- Postal address:
- Själagårdsgatan 19, 111 31 Stockholm
- Phone number:
- +46 (0)8 30 15 00
- Web address:
- http://www.judiskamuseet.se
- Email:
- info@judiskamuseet.se
- Reference number:
- JUD01294
- Title:
- Ignatz Reich papers
- Title (official language):
- Ignatz Reich samling
- Creator/accumulator:
- Hermele, Arthur
- Date(s):
- 1955/1979
- Language:
- German
- English
- Swedish
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- 0.1 linear metres (1 large box)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Photographic images
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
This collection comprises one box of papers covering the period 1955-1979. Chief among it is a typewritten manuscript with the title ‘‘Schlichut’ 954–74’, written in German by Rabbi Ignatz Reich, running to 201 pages divided into 42 parts. In this memoir, Reich reflects on his 20 years as a shaliach. Reich records his trips to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands. He describes Jewish life in each country in detail, with brief descriptions of individuals and families and his personal reflections. The manuscript offers unique descriptions of Swedish Jewish life.
He begins with his time in Denmark, spent mostly in Copenhagen, and describes visiting the synagogue in Krystalgade and cantors Fried and Grobotsky. He also visited the Machasike Hadas community, and describes meeting the Gutterman, Leitner, and Cohen families as well as the Chief Rabbi Marcus Melchior, Josef Kahn, Marcus Shalimtsek, Schmuel Bibelmien, Sigismund Bamberger, Hirsch Kaznelson, Dr Edelman, and others.
In the sections about Sweden, Reich describes the communities in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö, his visits to the larger synagogues and smaller minyanim, personal meetings, and a variety of activities related to the Jewish communities. In Stockholm, Reich visited the Adas Jisroel synagogue in Sankt Paulsgatan, the Adat Jeschurun synagogue in Biblioteksgatan, the meeting house and Great Synagogue in Wahrendorffsgatan, the Hillel School, Judaica-huset in Nybrogatan, the old synagogue in Själagårdsgatan and a minyan in Nybrogatan, along with Bandhagen, Vällingby, and Hägersten. He met many of the great and good, including Kurt Wilhelm, David Köpniwsky, Leo Rosenblüth, Idy Bornstein, Hirsch Nissalowitz, Joseph Ettlinger, Fritz Hollander, Clas Groschinsky and Hugo Valentin, and paid visits to Stockholm families such as the Frieds in Åsögatan, the Stielmans and Schenkmans in Brännkyrkagatan, the Freilichs and Hermeles in Lindvallsplan, the Speiers in Stigbergsgatan and the Grünfelds in Biblioteksgatan.
His accounts of the other Swedish communities are less extensive. In Gothenburg, Reich describes visiting the synagogue in Andra Långgatan and meetings with Oskar Haitkin and Mårten Henriques, as well as the Muskanters, Rocks and Tankus families and others. He also gives brief descriptions of Jewish life in Borås, Växjö, Uddevalla and Halmstad. In Malmö there were visits to the synagogue and to nearby Lund, and he writes about Jewish life in Kristianstad, Helsingborg and Landskrona, as well as meeting the Fischbein family, Elieser Berlinger, Boris Lewinschal, Magister Olniansky, Cantor Gordon and others.
In Norway, Reich first visited the Oslo synagogues at Bergstien 13 and Calmeyers gate 15, and went on to Trondheim, where he describes both the synagogue and Jewish life in the city. Reich describes several meetings in Norway, including with Herman Kahn, Heller David, Korevitschinsky, Selikowitsch, Steinman, Dr Ettinger and others.
In Finland, Reich visited Helsinki and Turku and describes meeting the Schapira family, the Odrischinsky brothers, Artur Stiller, Jacob Kahn, Cantor Heller, a Mr Champovitz and others.
After Scandinavia, Reich travelled to the Netherlands, and he concludes his memoirs with accounts of his visits to Amsterdam, Enschede, Leeuwarden, Utrecht and several smaller towns, and meeting families such as the Elburgs, Grünewalds and Barenholzes, along with Chief Rabbi Schuster and Salo Meyer.
Reich’s papers also include a package of documents relating to Reich’s activities. It contains printed material (postcards, calendars, New Year’s greetings, charitable collection cards, brochures and posters); newspaper cuttings from the Swedish paper Expressen (21 December 1972) and the Finnish paper Hufvudstadsbladet (22 December 1972) about an accident involving Aallotar, a Finnish ferry; a letter to Arthur Hermele; and copies of letters of recommendation, receipts, letters and invitations (stamped ‘Rabbi I. Reich Jerusalem’) from the period 1954-1979. There are also 20 photographs.
- Archival history:
- The Ignatz Reich papers were acquired by the museum between 1987 and 2016.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Isaac Ignatz Reich was born in 1895 in the Hungarian town of Esztergom. He came from a well-known family of rabbis. After emigrating to Palestine, he too became a rabbi. For twenty years, between 1954 and 1974, he travelled Europe as a shaliach. This involved a series of long stays, including in the Nordic countries. At the same time, he raised funds for the Mifal Hatorah (Medical Aid Foundation) in Jerusalem. Reich wrote up his trips as a memoir. He died in Israel in 1986.
- Access points: locations:
- Amsterdam
- Borås
- Copenhagen
- Denmark
- Enschede
- Finland
- Gothenburg
- Halmstad
- Helsingborg
- Helsinki
- Kristianstad
- Landskrona
- Leeuwarden
- Lund
- Malmö
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Oslo
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- Trondheim
- Turku
- Uddevalla
- Utrecht
- Växjö
- Access points: persons/families:
- Bamberger, Sigismund
- Barenholz
- Berlinger, Elieser
- Bibelmien, Schmuel
- Bornstein, Idy
- Champovitz
- Cohen
- David, Heller
- Edelman
- Elburg
- Ettinger
- Ettlinger, Joseph
- Fischbein
- Freilich
- Fried
- Gordon
- Grobotsky
- Groschinsky, Clas
- Grünewald
- Grünfeld
- Gutterman
- Haitkin, Oskar
- Heller
- Henriques, Mårten
- Hermele
- Hollander, Fritz
- Kahn, Herman
- Kahn, Jacob
- Kahn, Josef
- Kaznelson, Hirsch
- Köpniwsky, David
- Korevitschinsky
- Leitner
- Lewinschal, Boris
- Melchior, Marcus
- Meyer, Salo
- Muskanter
- Nissalowitz, Hirsch
- Odrischinsky
- Olniansky
- Rock
- Rosenblüth, Leo
- Schapira
- Schenkman
- Schuster
- Selikowitsch
- Shalimtsek, Marcus
- Speier
- Steinman
- Stielman
- Stiller, Artur
- Tankus
- Valentin, Hugo
- Wilhelm, Kurt
- Subject terms:
- Jewish community
- Rabbis
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum in Stockholm
- Author of the description:
- Andreas Schein; Jewish Museum of Stockholm; March 2022
