Bergen-Enkheim’s Jewish community

Design of a commemorative plaque in memory of the deportation of the Bergen-Enkheim Jewish community in (1942).
2009

 

Design

The design of the commemorative plate was to be as lapidary and as full of references as possible. The design refers to the aesthetics of the historic building, the existing information plaque on the history of its construction and the city coat of arms which also appears on the “Alte Rathaus” “The lines of explanatory text appear among the names of those murdered – or the other way around. The “name-bands” of the people victimized by the unfathomable instructions and deeds of the perpetrators project above the explanatory plate. (They cannot be understood, grasped or appeased by the commemorative plaque). A hierarchy in the way the text appears – raised and even – is a designed reflex of the reality. The realities between the people’s names who were actually victims of this crime against humanity and the words that “only” commemorate these deeds.” (Bernd Fischer)

 

Text

Determined by client:

At this spot, in front of the onetime town hall of Bergen-Enkheim, on 30 May and 5 September 1942 members of the Jewish community of Bergen-Enkheim had to assemble for deportation. They were murdered in the Nazi concentration camps.

EHRMANN, Leopold *14.10.1881
EHRMANN, Henny geb. HAHN *22.02.1893
GRÜNEBAUM, Emma geb. WETTERHALM *23.10.1875
GRÜNEBAUM, Bella *13.11.1901
HAHN, Frieda *22.07.1903
HAHN, Jenny *24.03.1905
HAHN, Karoline *24.02.1868
HAHN, Hermann *27.12.1888
HAHN, Emma geb. *ROSENBERG 16.06.1897
HESS, Jettchen geb. STRAUSS *05.09.1881
HESS, Klara *02.09.1883
HESS, Johanna geb. MORGENTHAU
HESS, Paula *16.04.1895
HESS, Nathan *15.12.1878
HIRSCH, Wilhelm *20.11.1890
HIRSCH, Frieda *23.01.1896
HIRSCH, Jettchen geb. KAUFMANN *02.11.1863
HIRSCH, Joachim *10.06.1929
HIRSCH, Johanna *20.04.1887
HIRSCH, Otto *16.05.1901
LEVI, Emil *27.01.1883
LEVI, Sophie geb. LÖB *15.05.1886
SELIGMANN, Meier *14.11.1872
SELIGMANN, Ella geb. BRÜCKHEIMER *09.10.1876
SRAUSS, Emma geb. NUSSBAUM *11.12.1882
WEIL, Minna geb. HESS *25.03.1890
WEIL, Walter Siegfried *21.02.1928
WEIL, Richard *09.11.1930

Execution

On four steel bands are the names and birth dates of the 28 victims, prominently engraved. (each steel band is approx. 5.3 cm (h) x 104 cm (w) x 3.5 cm (d)) The steel bands run through a square red metal plate (approx. 40 cm x 40 cm x 2 cm). The specified text appears on this plate and outlines the events in a white serif font.
The total size is 40 cm (h) x 104 cm (w) x 3.5 cm (d)

Schoder GmbH, Langen

Period of project:  February 2008 – June 2009

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