February 26, 2010

Translated:

A web site about a Jewish cemetery wins an award

Berlin. A German woman who set up a web site dealing with the old Jewish cemetery in her home town of Schopfloch received the annual Obermayer award for Jewish history in Germany. This award, established by the Boston philanthropist Arthur Obermayer, is awarded annually to non-Jewish Germans who aim to protect and preserve Jewish history in their country.

Angelika Brosig, a Socialist delegate from the Bavarian town of Schopfloch is one of the five winners of this prize. She set up the web site in 2007 after an acquaintance, who wanted to visit the cemetery in her home town, burst into tears upon seeing the abandoned, neglected and destroyed cemetery. After the Nazi pogrom against Jews in 1938, the cemetery was closed and neglected.

Brosig's web site documents the tombstones and helps to improve the condition of the cemetery.She suggested via internet that people should "adopt" tombstones and each person who does so donates 350 Euro ($250) for each restored grave. In this way she restored 40 of the 1,200 graves.

Obermayer, an American Jewish businessman, whose grandparents emigrated to the USA from the German town of Krenlingen, had at one time outlined his genealogy. Many Germans helped him in his search, and because of this established, about 10 years ago, the Obermeyer prize. The awardees are chosen by Jews outside of Germany. The award is awarded every year around January 27, in order to connect it with International Holocaust Memorial Day. This year's winners of the Obermayer award are: Walter Ott, a pensioned farmer from Butenhausen, who was at one time a member of '"Hitler Youth" and now is occupied in restoring Jewish history in his home town. He helped to set up a Jewish museum.
Heidemarie Kugler-Weiemann, a teacher from Luübeck, who researched the biographies of her local town. As part of her work she became friendly with a number of families of the survivors.

Helmut Gabeli, a lawyer from Haigerloch, discovered that in the town's market place there once stood a synagogue, and he set up a Jewish museum there.

Barbara Greve, a teacher from Gilserberg who researched the biographies of the local Jewish families who date back 400 years ago, helped to document the destruction of the Jewish community in her town.