Heerstrasse Cemetery

The Jewish Community of Berlin was among those institutions affected by the East-West conflict. The year 1953 saw a complete division of the community – with a separate one in the western half of the city and another in the east. As all Jewish cemeteries lay in the eastern sector of the city, the Jewish community of West Berlin was compelled to establish a new burial ground – which it did in 1955, on 3.5 hectares of forested grounds at the Schlossplatz. More than 5,000 burials have taken place here since 1956.

 

A long overdue expansion of the cemetery was finally completed in 2000. Rare gravestones from medieval times were set up along the Promenaden Weg. These stones of the so-called Juden-Kiever originated from the ancient Jewish cemetery in Berlin’s Spandau district. They were discovered during archaeological digs. A memorial stone was also set up to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, “in remembrance of those who lost their lives during the reign of inhumanity 1933-1945”. An urn containing the ashes of victims of the Auschwitz concentration camp was installed in front of the memorial during a ceremony on September 30, 1984.

Graves of renowned people at the cemetery:

  • Ernst Deutsch (1890-1969), one of Germany’s most prominent actors under Austrian director Max Reinhardt
  • Hans Rosenthal (1925-1987), one of Germany’s most beloved television game-show hosts, who survived the Nazi period in hiding
  • Jannette Wolff, née Cohen (1888-1976), politician, senior city council member and parliamentarian
  • Television host Gerhard Loewenthal and Estrongo Nachama, chief cantor of the Jewish community from 1947 until his death in January 2000, were both honoured with noteworthy graves
  • Heinz Galinski (November 28, 1912 - July 19, 1992) was an honorary citizen of the city of Berlin, as well as the chairman of the city’s Jewish community from 1949 until 1992. The re-emergence of Jewish life in the city is attributed to his tireless work. On December 19, 1998 a bomb attack destroyed a part of his grave. Unfortunately, the culprits were never apprehended. His gravestone, decorated with an open book symbolising his life, reads: “He dedicated his life in faithful service to the community."

Source: "Jüdische Orte in Berlin", Andreas Nachama/Ulrich Eckhardt. Copyright by Nicolai Verlag

Address & Contact

Friedhof Heerstraße

Heerstr. 141
14055 Berlin
Tel.: (0 30) 30 43 2-34

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Summer: 01.04 – 30.09.

Mon – Thu 7:30 – 17:00

Fri 7:30 - 14:30

Sun 8:00 – 17:00

Winter: 01.10. – 31.03.

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Fri 7:30 - 14:30

Sun 8:00 – 16:00

Shabbat (Saturday) and Holidays

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