Didn’t the Jews of Lütgendortmund want their own cemetery? It is the early 20th century. The Jewish citizens of Lütgendortmund longed for a dedicated burial ground in their town. This desire led to the creation of the Jüdischer Friedhof Lütgendortmund.
The Jewish population was small. They could not form their own synagogue community. So they established the Jewish Community of the Office Lütgendortmund association. Its mission was clear to create and maintain a cemetery. The association was founded in 1908. It was officially registered in the Dortmund register of associations in 1909.
Just a month later the association acquired a plot of land. This plot was on Dellwiger Straße. It measured 1498 square meters. The Jüdischer Friedhof Lütgendortmund was finally a reality.
From 1909 eleven graves were established. Seven were single graves. One was for a married couple. The remaining three cannot be identified. Their inscriptions are missing or illegible.
The association dwindled from eleven members in 1932. By 1937 only two remained due to emigration and death. The last board member requested the association’s dissolution. He wanted the assets transferred to Dortmund’s Jewish religious community. The association was finally dissolved in the 1960s.
In 1944 the German Reich confiscated the assets. This included the Jüdischer Friedhof Lütgendortmund. The finance offices were to sell them.
In 1950 the Jewish community of Greater Dortmund sought restitution for the cemetery. In 1952 the Compensation Chamber ruled in favor of the Jewish Trust Corporation. The JTC then gifted the cemetery to the regional association of Jewish communities of Westphalia.
Today the Jüdischer Friedhof Lütgendortmund covers about 0.9 hectares. It is one of Dortmund’s smallest cemeteries. Ten original gravestones stand. They remind us of the site’s history. The cemetery is located on Dellwiger Straße. House number 238 marks its location. It is a place of remembrance. It is a testament to a community’s enduring spirit. The Jüdischer Friedhof Lütgendortmund quietly tells its story.