|
|
| Projects
of AHB (selection) |
| |
|
A Genisa Discovery in Delkenheim
|
| A palm branch and documents were found during
clearing work under roof planking of an old house in Wiesbaden-Delkenheim.
Among the papers was a writ of protection, a sales agreement
for the house, a marriage contract, as well as documents that
covered the merchant activity of the house's Jewish owner between
1802 and 1832. AHB's task was to find out about who Genisa
was, and to place the Jewish owner into the historical context
of Delkenheim in the early nineteenth century. Moreover, we
also sought to trace the construction and historical use of
the house. |
Holocaustmuseum Houston, Texas,
USA
|
| The Houston Holocaust Museum opened a special
exhibition on the history of euthanasia on 9 September 2007
entitled "How Healing Becomes Killing". In 2006, the
AHB historical anthropology research office was commissioned
with making contacts at memorials in Germany for this museum
for the purpose of assisting with selecting artifacts and conducting
archival research. In 2007, we were charged with collecting
individual objects from the memorials and securing their safe
transportation to the exhibition location. |
Research Objective
|
The Spielgasse interactive Museum, working in
cooperation with The Judaica Museum of The Hebrew Home for the
Aged at Riverdale, placed an object on display at the Wiesbaden
City Hall in April 2004 with a mystery to be solved.
The Passover Seder Plate from 1755, a recent gift to the Judaica
Museum from a private donor, was likely given to the donor's
aunt, Cilly Joachims, a Wiesbaden resident, by a family that
was later deported and probably killed during the holocaust.
This is the first time that two museums have collaborated internationally
to display such an object with the hope of learning more about
it, and possibly returning it to the original owners or their
heirs. AHB was commissioned to search the history of the Passover
Seder Plate. |
History
of the Jewish community of Wiesbaden
|
| Valuable materials have been drawn from sources
in the main state archive and the municipal archive of Wiesbaden
and have been evaluated and put forward as the basis for documentation
about the Jewish cemetary in Wiesbaden. A detailed index is
presently in the process of being produced. The main emphasis
is on the genealogical information, as not only will the individual
gravestones be listed, but the respective families will also
be briefly presented. The index will include an analysis of
selected documents dated from 1750 to 1920. These are mainly
documents dealing with the overall history of the Jewish community
in Wiesbaden, and a few of the former suburbs. In addition to
this, legacies, inventories and other relevant documents will
be surveyed, and an EDP data bank is being established, into
which the results of the survey will be submitted. This will
facilitate the work of Genealogical Researchers in finding the
required information about the members of the Jewish community
in Wiesbaden. |
History
of the Jewish unions in Wittlich
|
| Please download the complete
text (pdf-file) |
The
former Jewish bathing house "Zum Rebhuhn" in
Wiesbaden
|
|
The former Jewish bath house "Zum
Rebhuhn" in Wiesbaden lies in the part of Wiesbaden here
the springs originate, which presumably dates back to a building
first mentioned in 1547 that was known under the name "Zum
Rebhuhn" or "Zum Rephinkel". In 1724, it was
one of two Jewish bath houses in the city. The synagogue was
moved to this site in 1732. In the 18th century, the small
Jewish community had two rabbis in succession, who were also
the owners of the bath house. It can be surmised that a ´Mikveh´
also existed on this site. After renovation work in 1760,
it was one of the most modern bath houses in Wiesbaden.
In 1831, the "Rebhuhn" and a neighbouring house
were sold and demolished. A new three storey hotel with modern
bathing facilities as built in their place, and was renamed
the "Pariser Hof". The new building had 60 guest
rooms and 26 bathing cabins, and was thus also one of the
biggest and most modern bath houses in the City. It has been
in non-Jewish ownership since 1837. In the following years,
ownership changed frequently, mainly due to the rapid changes
in Wiesbaden´s bathing culture. These changes are marked
by the various building alterations that followed: the bathing
cabins were regularly renovated, and after a typhoid epidemic
in 1880, it was joined up to the canalisation system of the
city. In 1882, it received a new thermal water reservoir,
and in 1900 the façade was renewed. In the nineteen
twenties, the bathing cabins were again modernised and remain
in the same condition to this day.
|
Read the complete
text (pdf-file)
|
In
Essingen and Berlichingen
|
|
It was known that the ancestors of this client
came from Berlichingen and Essingen, and that they emigrated
to the US during the latter half of the 19th century. We could
present a complete family-tree for both sides of the family
for the time between 1770 and 1900, including the relatives
who had remained in Germany. Further investigations were carried
out in Essingen. During the client's visit in this village,
he was shown the original houses of his family and the synagogue
(now a barn). The gravestones of two ancestors were discovered
in the cemetery in Essingen, which is one of the largest in
the Palatinate.
Here is what this client wrote about this trip: "Just
wanted to let you both know how successful my trip to Germany
was. Wolfgang was superb. He is nice, thoughtful & very
knowledgeable. In Essingen, he located the town historian
who spent one full day showing me/us all the historic Jewish
places and produced a town plan from 1830. That enabled us
to find the house where they lived. ... Again I cannot speak
too highly about Wolfgang. He is really good and interested
in doing more projects on Jewish genealogy."
|
Metternich
/ Koblenz
|
| In 1848 and 1868 respectively, two Jewish families
emigrated from Metternich, near Koblenz, to the United States
of America. The life histories of the German ancestors were
traced on behalf of one of the descendants. These included not
only a complete description of the family relationships, right
up until the early 19th century, but it was also possible to
look at copies of some of the original documents i.e.: birth,
marriage and death certificates. The work was completed by undertaking
an overall history of the Jewish community, focusing respectively
on the geneology of the two families. |
|
|
