RIEDBACH, Unterfr. incorp. KLEINSTEINACH: 97519 Bavaria, Lower Franconia (Gerz, Peters).
DISTRICT: Hassberge.
LOCATION OF CEMETERY: About 1 mile south east of Kleinsteinach, past the Sportplatz (sports ground).
IN USE: From 1453 until 1942. Oldest gravestone dated 1596. Last burial 1942.
NUMBER OF GRAVESTONES:
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About 1,010 gravestones in the older plus about 700 gravestones in the newer part of the cemetery.
DOCUMENTATION:
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Numerous individual gravestone photographs and general cemetery views in Alemannia Judaica.
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Jüdische Friedhöfe in Bayern publ. Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte , Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst, including photographs of all gravestones and some general views - click on Friedhöfe A-Z and Kleinsteinach.
PUBLICATIONS:
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Israel Schwierz: Steinerne Zeugnisse jüdischen Lebens in Bayern - refer to Sources below.
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Michael Trüger: Der jüdische Friedhof in Kleinsteinach, publ. Der Landesverband der Israelitischen. Kultusgemeinden in Bayern - click on Friedhöfe and Kleinsteinach.
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Die Jüdischen Friedhöfe im Landkreis Hassberge - a booklet, including this cemetery, publ. by researcher Fr. Cordula Kappner, Mühlenweg 5, 97475 Zeil a. Main, Germany or here in pdf format.
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Baruch Z. Ophir und Falk Wiesemann: Die juedischen Gemeinden in Bayern 1918-1945 : Geschichte und Zerstoerung incl. 9 maps, publ. R. Oldenbourg, Munich 1979, 511 pages (LBI).
NOTES:
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This cemetery also served as a community burial ground for the neighbouring Jewish communities of, amongst others, Friesenhausen, Haßfurt, Hofheim, Westheim, Schonungen, Knetzgau, Schweinshaupten, Aidhausen, Wonfurt, Lendershausen and Zeil am Main.
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The cemetery contains a war memorial, erected in September 1925, in honour of 17 named Jewish soldiers who gave their lives during WW1, all of whom came from the Jewish communities in Kleinsteinach, Hassfurt, Hofheim, Schonungen and Westheim.
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Desecration occurred in 1894, when several gravestones were uprooted.
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The well maintained cemetery in a heavily wooded area, is enclosed by wire fencing with an attractive wrought iron gate. The large and well preserved mortuary with an almost complete inventory is still there.
SOURCE: Alemannia Judaica and Schwierz, page 86-87 (Schwierz LBI).
(Researched and translated from German January 2010).
[UPDATE] Kehila Links page for Kleinsteinach [November 2014]