Jews in Bosen, Gonnesweiler and Soetern

by Else Teutsch Gottlieb

Graciously Provided by Marian Price

Most likely the Jews came to Germany with the armies of Caesar. In the fourth century there were Jewish communities mentioned. A little later the cities Mainz, Speyer and Warus became the center of the whole western Judaism. Carl the Great called the Jew Isaak as a member of his delegation to the Kalifen Haum al Raschid.  Otto the Great let the Jewish family Kalominus come from Lucca in Italy to Mainz to strengthen business and trade in his state.

With the start of the crusade the condition of the Jews took a turn for the worse. They could not be engaged in any trade or profession. The only way they could earn a living was as moneylenders. The rulers could do with the Jews whatever they wanted. After they lost their possessions, they had to leave the country.

With Napoleon’s victory over Russia they got their full civil rights and religious freedom. With Napoleon’s defeat in 1813 the lost all of their gains.

Such a reaction we did not find in the district of Oldenburg to which the communities of Bosen, Gonnesweiler and Soetern belonged to. The Jewish community of Soetern existed already before the Thirty Years War. The forefathers of the Gottlieb family had been in Bosen since around 1770.

Synagogues

For the services of the Jewish community the well-to-do people supplied them with a room. In Bosen there was a prayer house already in use in 1769. In the 19th century they built synagogues already in Bosen and Soetern. The money they received from the richer people, who bought their places in the synagogue.

Cemeteries

Soetern had its own cemetery outside of the village. It existed at around 1650 already. The cemetery was also for the Jewish community of Bosen. The last Jews had been buried in 1941 - 1942. During the war the Jewish cemetery was badly damaged. Some tombstones are still missing. The Jewish cemetery in Gonnesweiler had only 60 or 70 people buried, but only 21 tombstones are still standing. The Jewish community in Saarbrucken takes care of the cemeteries now.

The Jews in the Birkenfeld community got very well along with their Christian neighbors. They had been cattle dealers, businessmen, storekeepers or employees. Most of them had their own houses and did very well, but some had been very poor and had to fight to make a living.

Soon the history of the Jews in Germany ended. Some had been able to leave Germany, but those who stayed lost their lives. Soetern lost 47 people, Bosen 23 and Gonnesweiler 8. They all ended in Nazi concentration camps including Leo’s parents, his brother Ernst with his wife Martha and son Fred. Leo’s parents Ferdinand and Selma fled to Holland to live with their son Ernst and his family who had left Saarlouis and had started a new business in Holland where thought they would be safe from Hitler, but they were mistaken.

Leo, Gert and I will always be thankful to the Gottlieb family who gave us the affidavit so fast. At that last time we corresponded with Eleanore we were allowed to pay our tickets in Germany. That was in February 1939. Irma, Karl and Nora, who arrived 2 years later from Luxembourg had their tickets paid from Eleonore. I remember that Eleonore wrote that this is money which her parents had left her and she is glad to help to bring 3 persons out of the hell that Europe is. I guess that was before Eleonore got married.

When Leo, Gert and I arrived in New York there was a letter from Leo’s cousin Regina with a check of $60 welcoming us. Since the Hitler regime let us only have $10 per person to take along that money was a fortune and made us feel very happy. As soon as we had earned enough money we paid the $60 back again. As long as we live we will be thankful to the whole Gottlieb family for having given us the affidavit so fast and so they saved our lives from Hitler.

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