Jewish Cemeteries

Death means the separation of the body from the soul.

The washing of the corpse, the clothing in a plain shroud, the lying out, and the burial are generally undertaken by the burial fraternity (Chevra Kadisha) which exists in nearly all parishes. The relatives of the deceased are dispensed of all religious duties until the burial.

The burial usually takes place on the day after the death but not on a Sabbath or any of the other Jewish holy days. Cremation in only permitted in Reform Judaism. Those present at the burial throw three shovels of sand onto the coffin. The Kaddish which praises the name of God is the most important prayer on this occasion. The first phase of the period of mourning lasts seven days during which the mourners stay at home and do not work (Shivah). The second, less intensive period of mourning (Sh(e)loshim) lasts 30 days. When one of the parents dies this is followed by a year of mourning.

On the first anniversary of the death (Season) the gravestone is placed in the cemetery. During each of the following "Seasons" a candle is lit in memory of the deceased and a fast is observed. In the cemetery, in Hebrew called the "House of Eternity" and the "House of Life", the dead are to have eternal rest, it must never be dissolved.

The oldest Jewish cemetery in Hamburg is located in Königstraße in Altona and dates back to 1611. The Sephardic Jews preferred gravestones lying flaton the ground with rich ornamentation whereas Ashkenazi Jews usually placed them standing upright.

It is a traditional custom to deposit a small stone when visiting a grave.

All the following Jewish cemeteries are closed except for that in Ohlsdorf. The requisit keys may be obtained from the Jewish Community in Hamburg.

Just as when entering a synagogue one's head should be covered.
On maps Jewish cemeteries are indicated with a right-angled bracket, not a cross, depicting the headstone and grave.

The Jewish cemetery is regarded as a "beth olam" i.e. "House of Eternity". Within Jewish religious law the cemetery exists, in perpetuity, until the appearance of the Messiah. The cemetery constitutes an important institution for the community.

In the 17th century Hamburg denied the Jews a cemetery within the area of the city.

The earliest Jewish cemetery within the environs of Hamburg is the cemetery in Königstraße within the district of Altona, founded in 1663, with circa 2,500 Sephardic and 6,000 Ashkenazi graves. Today it is a significant historic monument.

The Jewish cemetery in the former Langenreihe, renamed Königsreihe within the district of Wandsbek, founded in 1637, was closed in 1886.

Chronologically followed the foundation in 1663 of the Jewish cemetery within the district of Ottensen, with circa 1,000 graves.

In 1941 it was desecrated by the National Socialist regime and disturbed by the building of bunkers in 1939 and 1942/43.

In 1995 the "Mercado" shopping centre was erected on the spot, after consultation with a rabbi from Israel. As can be seen below a plaque has been erected on the stairway to the basement.
 

During the time of the Plague the Hamburg Senate perforce allowed the founding of a Jewish cemetery within the city, in the "Grindel" district, founded in 1711/13, with circa 9,000 graves.

This was vacated in 1937 (Third Reich), in agreement with the Jewish Community. Complete exhumation, reburial and the transfer of gravestones of eminent Jews to the Jewish cemetery in Ilandkoppel within the district of Ohlsdorf was carried out.

As can be seen below a plaque has been erected in An der Verbindungsbahn, near the junction with Renzelstraße.
 

A temporary cemetery was founded, during the period between January and May 1814, in Neue Steinweg, situated within the Neu-Stadt (New City), during the French occupation of the city. There were 57 dead and 18 gravestones.

In 1954 an exhumation and reburial took place to the Jewish cemetery in Ilandkoppel within the district of Ohlsdorf.

The Jewish cemetery in Ilandkoppel within the district of Ohlsdorf was established in 1882/83 by the Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities following contracts with the City of Hamburg, which remained owner of the land.

Through the transfer of the graves of eminent Jews from the former cemeteries in the districts of "Grindel" and Ottensen it is today a significant Jewish cultural monument.

In addition there are four small, disused Jewish cemeteries:

In Schwarzenbergstraße within the district of Harburg, founded at the end of the 17th century.
In Bornkampsweg within the district of Bahrenfeld, founded in 1874.

In Jenfelder Straße within the district of Wandsbek, founded in 1886.
In Försterweg within the district of Langenfelde, founded in 1886/87.