Cemetery “Am Roten Strumpf”

The field name “Am Roten Strumpf” refers to the former use of the site as a place of execution. Around 350 magnificent baroque gravestones have been preserved in this oldest cemetery with around 2000 graves. Richly decorated, they tell of the great importance of the Halberstadt community and its members. There are typical symbols such as the priestly blessing or the Levite jug. The gravestone of the court Jew Berend Lehmann (1661 – 1730) is of particular importance. It leans against the northern cemetery wall.

Cemetery “Am Berge”

The gravestones in the second cemetery follow the formal language of the 19th century. The inscription on the front is still in Hebrew, but on the back the name and dates of life of the deceased are written in Latin, although the dates follow the Jewish calendar. All 450 gravestones have been preserved here. In 1938, the Jewish community was forced to sell the entrance area of the cemetery with two houses of the Chewra Kaddischa (burial society) and the shed for the hearse.

This part has not been added to the cemetery and one of the buildings has been demolished. The “Judenweg”, to which the gate at the end of the cemetery led, has also been walled up to this day.

Explanation: The Chewra Kadischa (burial society) is an important institution in every Jewish community. Membership is a highly respected honorary position. The members of the Chewra Kaddischa accompany the seriously ill until death and prepare the funeral in accordance with the ritual regulations.

Klein Quenstädter Straße” cemetery

The “Klein Quenstädter Straße” cemetery is the youngest of Halberstadt’s three cemeteries and was established in 1896. It is the largest of the three cemeteries in terms of area, but today there are only around 380 gravestones. Together with the regional association of Jewish communities in Saxony-Anhalt, the Moses Mendelssohn Academy and the European Heritage Volunteers carried out archaeological excavations at the former site of the mourning hall in 2017.