How many stories do these silent stones hold? Here at the Jüdisch-orthodoxer Friedhof Düsseldorf-Gerresheim we stand on hallowed ground. It whispers tales of a community torn apart by time and tragedy.
This is the Jüdisch-orthodoxer Friedhof Düsseldorf-Gerresheim a place of rest for members of the Adass-Jisrael community. This orthodox group broke away from Düsseldorf’s liberal synagogue. They sought to worship according to their own strict rites. Between 1925 and 1938 this cemetery served as their final sanctuary.
In 1921 the orthodox community requested land for a cemetery. Three years later in 1924 they acquired this ground. It was then named the “Weyl’schen Friedhof” after Rabbi Doktor Heyman Weyl. Orthodox Jews from Düsseldorf and its surroundings were likely buried here.
Local legend says damaged Torah scrolls were buried here in 1938 after the Night of Broken Glass. This act was meant to protect them from further desecration. Yet the cemetery itself was repeatedly vandalized. Today only 46 gravestones remain. They bear inscriptions in both Hebrew and German.
In 1939 the Adass Jisroel community was banned and dissolved. Rabbi Weyl fled to the Netherlands. He was later deported to Auschwitz in 1943. Today the Jüdisch-orthodoxer Friedhof Düsseldorf-Gerresheim is owned by the regional association of Jewish communities of North Rhine.
The Chabad Lubawitsch religious community of Düsseldorf is involved here. They see themselves as successors to the Adass-Jisrael group. They help ensure proper remembrance.
The Jüdisch-orthodoxer Friedhof Düsseldorf-Gerresheim is south of the main Gerresheim cemetery and the Waldfriedhof Gerresheim. It borders a large forest connecting all three. Access is via Quadenhofstraße 141C.
A solid metal fence surrounds the cemetery. It is not freely accessible. The Jüdisch-orthodoxer Friedhof Düsseldorf-Gerresheim is no longer actively managed. However community members regularly maintain and care for it. This ensures its preservation.
Though small and unassuming the Jüdisch-orthodoxer Friedhof Düsseldorf-Gerresheim carries a heavy weight of history. It serves as a testament to a community’s faith and resilience. Remember their stories as you pass by each stone. Let us honor those who rest here.