Moses Moritz Zeiller and a tragic accident at the Annafest

Moses Moritz Zeiller was a dealer in textiles and fabrics. His dwelling place including his business premises was on the Badsteg within sight of the synagogue. The respected merchant was granted the honour of being admitted to the Royal Privileged Shooting Society. Unfortunately he was involved in a tragic accident which occurred during the annual shooting competition at the Annafest in 1844. A young assistant whose job was to register the scores on the target left his cover too early and was hit by a shot that Zeiller had fired, he died of the wound. Thereupon an angry mob gathered before Zeiller’s house. The local militia quickly appeared and positioned themselves to protect the Jewish merchant and his family. The amateur dramatic society StaTTTheater Forchheim has taken the dramatic event and turned it into a theatrical production in 2022. “Der Tod im Kellerwald” was performed in 2023 with great success.