Jewish Cemetery Neheim

The Neheim Jewish Cemetery, established in the 19th century, was heavily damaged by the Möhne disaster in 1943 and only partially restored after World War II.

History
Its exact founding date is unclear. Some sources suggest 1835, while others place it around 1850. The first known burial was in 1860, and the last occurred in 1939, before the Holocaust ended Jewish life in the city.

Located near Graf-Gottfried-Schule, the cemetery was prone to flooding. It was arranged in two rows with brick crypts facing the Möhne River.

Destruction & Restoration
The Möhne flood washed away or destroyed most gravestones and all crypts. In 1950, remaining structures were removed during river regulation. Only 11 monuments survived or were re-erected, including a 2-meter-high black marble obelisk.

Recent efforts uncovered gravestones of Noa Wolff (d. 1905) and Betty Wolff (d. 1875), among others, which were reinstalled in 2013 for the 70th anniversary of the flood. A memorial stone honors Neheim’s Holocaust victims, and the site is registered as historic monument DL 347.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: Optimist4343 (1), Optimist4343 (2), Optimist4343 (3)