BINSWANGEN b. Dillingen a.d.Donau: 86637, Bavaria, Swabia (Gerz, Peters).
DISTRICT: Dillingen.
LOCATION OF CEMETERY:
- From Binswangen north on road 2028. Take road 2033 to Wertingen, Am Judenberg (Detail).
IN USE: From 2nd half of 17th century until 1940.
NUMBER OF GRAVESTONES: No numbers available.
DOCUMENTATION:
- Numerous individual gravestone photographs and general cemetery views in Alemannia Judiaca.
- History and cemetery photograph in Netzwerk Historische Synagogenorte in Bayrisch-Schwaben and click on named location.
PUBLICATIONS:
- In Schwierz - refer to Sources below.
- Michael Trüger: Der jüdische Friedhof in Binswangen/Schwaben, publ. Der Landesverband der Israelitischen. Kultusgemeinden in Bayern. 9. Jahrgang Nr. 63 in September 1994 page 25.
- Ludwig Reissler: Geschichte und Schicksal der Juden in Binswangen, einem Dorf in der ehemals oesterreichischen Markgrafschaft Burgau im heutigen Bayerisch-Schwaben - ein Beitrag zum Problem ethnisch-religioeser Minderheiten, publ. Muenchen1982, 198 pages, illus.(LBI).
NOTES:
- During the 16th/17th century the Binswangen Jewish community used the now no longer existing cemetery in Burgau for burials. They purchased the present piece of land for use as their own burial ground from the Margraves of Burgau in 1663. The area was subsequently enlarged in 1694, 1730 and in 1761. A wrought iron gated stone wall surrounding the cemetery was also constructed during 1761, primarily because even in those days "malevolent people destroy graves and gravestones".
- A more recent desecration of the cemetery occurred in 1924, when 30 gravestones were toppled, some smashed and others besmirched with the Nazi Swastika. One culprit, caught by the police, was sentenced to 14 weeks imprisonment, whilst some of the other criminals were put on probation. More desecrations followed in 1925, and in 1938 25 gravestones were toppled and most of these smashed. The ultimate act of desecration took place in 1940, when members of the local Nazi youth group (Hitler Jugend) destroyed the entire cemetery almost beyond recognition. Toward the end of WW2 even the old stone wall was demolished and the rubble used for the repair and rebuilding of war-damaged houses in Binswangen.
- Post 1945 a few remaining gravestones could be re-erected and the cemetery wall was rebuilt in 1963. What was once a cemetery can now only be seen on historic photographs. Even after 1945 further desecrations occurred. Of the few remaining gravestones 15 were toppled In 1975.
- A memorial in honour of French prisoners of war dating from the 1870/71 Franco-German war is in this cemetery, as is also a memorial dedicated to Jewish soldiers from Binswangen who lost their lives during WW1. In front of the cemetery is a simple memorial stone inscribed "Jüdischer Friedhof der ehemaligen Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde Binswangen" (Cemetery of the erstwhile Jewish Community of Binswangen).
SOURCE: Alemannia Judaica and Schwierz, page (LBI).
(Researched and translated from German August 2009).
UPDATE: [September 2013] Photos of the Jewish Cemetery are available here. (http://www.panoramio.com/group/253305)