DISTRICT: Ansbach.

LOCATION OF CEMETERY: At the end of Blütenstrasse (Detail).

IN USE: From around the end of the 16th century until 1938.

NUMBER OF GRAVESTONES: Approximately 2223, the oldest stone so far dated 1607.

DOCUMENTATION:

• Numerous individual gravestone photographs and general cemetery views in Alemannia Judiaca.

PUBLICATIONS:

• In Schwierz - refer to Sources below.
• Michael Trüger: Der jüdische Friedhof in Bechhofen, publ. Der Landesverband der Israelitischen. Kultusgemeinden in Bayern. 9. Jahrgang Nr. 62 in June 1994 page 14.

NOTES:

• This is the second largest Jewish cemetery in Bavaria and was used from the early 18th century onwards by many Jewish communities in the surrounding area, including those in Ansbach, Cronheim, Treuchtlingen, Herrieden, Gunzenhausen, until some of them acquired their own burial grounds.
• A major project to decipher the old gravestone inscriptions was reported in July 2008 as being undertaken by an Israeli couple. Schwierz reports an estimated 8000 gravestones as being in this cemetery, many badly weathered.
• Repeated desecration occured during the 1920s, with 12 gravestones being smashed in 1923.
• The cemetery is enclosed by substantial iron gated stone wall and is being maintained in reasonably good condition.

SOURCE: Alemannia Judaica and Schwierz, page 154 (LBI).

(Researched and translated from German August 2009)

UPDATE:

The hebrew inscriptions of more than 2300 tombstones are being deciphered by an Israeli couple during the years 2009-2012 under my supervison.Then the scientific research concerning the cemetery, which served about 15 communities, will begin. It is not the second largest cemetery of Bavaria, that would probably be Fuerth. There are probably about 8000 graves, not tombstones.

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