Gravestones tell of Jewish life

Mr. Lenarz, how many Jewish cemeteries are there in Offenbach?
There are five from different eras. The first Jewish cemetery, which was located on today's Bismarckstraße from 1708 to 1860, was destroyed for the construction of a railroad line. More than 60 gravestones were moved from there to the replacement site on the edge of today's Old Cemetery on Untere Grenzstraße. The Jewish community was initially characterized by craftsmen and small merchants, until it became actively involved in Offenbach's industrial development from around 1830. The gravestones in the old Jewish cemetery bear witness to this.

Which personalities are particularly noteworthy there?
Several graves commemorate the banker Siegmund Merzbach and his sons: their banking house, which existed at Frankfurter Straße 47 until the Nazi era, played a decisive role in financing Offenbach's industrial rise. Probably the most prominent grave in the cemetery belongs to the industrialist and patron Ludo Mayer: the monumental complex commemorates one of Germany's largest leather producers. In addition to Mayer, three other honorary Jewish citizens of Offenbach are also buried there: Rabbi Dr. Salomon Formstecher, one of the "founding fathers" of the Jewish reform movement in the 19th century, the important art patron Dr. Siegfried Guggenheim and Max Willner, co-founder and until 1994 chairman of the Jewish community of Offenbach after the Second World War.

What characterizes the city's oldest Jewish cemetery in Bürgel?
According to my research, the very first Jews in Bürgel were mentioned as early as 1492, and the first burials in the burial ground near the Schultheisweiher pond took place in the 17th century. However, none of this oldest evidence has survived. The gravestones currently on display date from the 19th and 20th centuries. They represent small manufacturers, grocers, cattle dealers, carpenters, butchers and bakers.

What events will your company still be offering in 2025?
We take care of the history and culture of Jews in Offenbach - and look far beyond that. At the end of April, for example, we invited the president of the only Jewish carnival association "Kölsche Kippa Köpp" to the Capitol Theater for a lecture evening on participation and exclusion, with the support of Stadtwerke Offenbach. For September 7, I have planned a tour of the former Jewish cemetery on Bismarckstraße, and in the fall, our "Offenbach Readings / Literature in O-Ton" series will once again take place with up to 200 guests in EVO's Alte Schlosserei.