Ehemaliger jüdischer Friedhof Hörde

Hidden behind a wall, the Ehemaliger jüdischer Friedhof Hörde silently guards centuries of stories. This Jewish cemetery, located on Hörder Kampweg, is more than just a resting place. It’s a poignant reminder of the vibrant Jewish community that once thrived in Hörde, Dortmund. The Ehemaliger jüdischer Friedhof Hörde has a history as layered as the earth beneath its stones. The current cemetery, consecrated in 1911, is actually the third Jewish cemetery in Hörde. The first one, dating back to the 1740s, was situated by the Emscher River near Seekante street. Imagine the community paying a yearly taler to the Hörde city treasury for its upkeep. In the 1780s, the community even successfully protested the construction of a gatekeeper’s house too close to this sacred ground. The community grew, and the cemetery expanded in 1814. However, by 1887, concerns about its location “amidst the houses” led to its closure for new burials. The Dortmunder Zeitung reported this closure in May of that year. The old cemetery remained, untouched, for another thirty years. Sadly, in 1913, it suffered vandalism. A few years later, in 1917, the expanding Emscher promenade claimed the land. The remains were transferred to the Ehemaliger jüdischer Friedhof Hörde on Hörder Kampweg, and the community received compensation. Before the Hörder Kampweg location became the final resting place, there was a second cemetery. This one opened in 1887, near the Protestant cemetery and Zeche Bickefeld. The first burial there, as reported in the Dortmunder Zeitung, was quite the event. The entire town, including city officials, the fire brigade with mourning music, and the craftsman’s guild, came to honor the city’s fire chief, Mr. Sieger. This burial also served as the cemetery’s consecration. The growth of the nearby Hermannshütte eventually encroached on both the Jewish and Protestant cemeteries. This prompted the community to search for a new location, which led them to the present Ehemaliger jüdischer Friedhof Hörde. Julius Udewald secured the land in Benninghofen in 1911. Teacher Isidor Stern, a longtime preacher and community caretaker, consecrated this new cemetery on December 18, 1911. When the second cemetery closed in 1925, the remains and some gravestones were moved to the Ehemaliger jüdischer Friedhof Hörde. Sadly, the cemetery wasn’t immune to the dark times that followed. During the Nazi era, it was desecrated and vandalized. The gravestones suffered damage, and the Trauerhalle, the mourning hall, became an air raid shelter. The grounds were even used as garden plots. In a further indignity, sixteen deceased individuals from Lüdinghausen were relocated to the cemetery in 1942 on Nazi orders. After the war, some restoration work took place, but the Trauerhalle was never rebuilt. The Ehemaliger jüdischer Friedhof Hörde officially closed in 1967. Today, around ninety gravestones remain. The oldest dates back to 1779. The most recent marks the grave of Dr. Jakob Koppel, a lawyer and notary who passed away in Hörde in 1952. The Ehemaliger jüdischer Friedhof Hörde stands as a powerful reminder of a community’s resilience and a poignant testament to its history.