The house of eternity – the Jewish cemetery in Baiersdorf

Jewish cemeteries are also known as the “house of life” (Beth ha-Chajim) or “house of eternity” (Beth ha-Olam). In Baiersdorf there is a large Jewish cemetery which lay within the old town wall. Not only the dead of Baiersdorf and other Jewish communities from the environs were buried here but also from Forchheim. Many gravestones close to the modern entrance show the town name Forchheim and the names of Jewish families from Forchheim for example: Anker, Bayreuther, Fleischmann, Frank, Gröschel, Heller, Kleemann, Prager, Zeiller and many more.

The first mention of the Jewish cemetery in Baiersdorf was in 1529. The oldest gravestone dates from the sixteenth century, the youngest from 1938. For some of the deceased who were interred later it was not possible to erect a gravestone. The Jewish cemetery in Baiersdorf is the largest in Franconia. The number of graves which remain is 1278.

Information and results on the entire scientific documentation of the cemetery can be found at www.jg-baiersdorf.de