At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, there was a good relationship between the Jewish and Christian citizens of Marktbreit.
They lived as neighbors, invited each other to family celebrations, sat next to each other at the inn at the regulars' table, sang together in the choral societies, and steeled their bodies in the gymnastics club. When the Marktbreit Sports Club was founded in 1911, six of the 18 founding members were of Jewish descent (Abraham Goldbach, Jakob Berliner, Hugo Klein, Max Rothschild, Isidor Schiff, Emil Weinberg – see the SCM anniversary publication).
Abraham Lauber was a member of the volunteer fire brigade, the gymnastics club and the veterans and comrades-in-arms association. Hugo Klein was not only a football fan, he was also a passionate singer in the Marktbreit Music and Singing Society, of which he was the entertainment commissioner at the beginning of the 20th century (society minute book). There are many more examples of successful coexistence.
Jewish businesses held special sales on Christian holidays and festivals. For example, the Rindsberger clothing store for Christmas (MWB Dec. 10, 1888), or A. Goldbach for confirmations.
Likewise, there were publications by Christian merchants for items related to Jewish holidays. Otto Ruth advertised his baked goods for Purim, (MWB 28.2.1907) or F. Ernst Palmin Passover, margarine Passover or F. Düsel sold kosher beef. (MWB 27.8.1892)
On June 29, 1886, the official funeral service for King Ludwig II took place in the Marktbreit Synagogue (see MA 29.6.1886). All municipal and royal officials attended.
On January 25, 1898, the Marktbreiter Wochenblatt conveyed the warmest congratulations on the 80th birthday of Salomon Wohl, former municipal councilor and city treasurer.
On November 18, 1905, the Marktbreiter Anzeiger published an appeal in favor of the murdered and robbed Russian Jews, noting that the Marktbreiter Anzeiger's expedition had agreed to accept and forward donations.
All these publications show a good coexistence.
When World War I broke out on August 1, 1914, young Christian and Jewish men registered equally (e.g. Joseph Astruck).
The Jewish teacher and cantor Brückheimer also went to fight for his fatherland.
On August 6, 1914, Goldbach and Rothschild published the following text in the Marktbreiter Anzeiger:
“To counter false rumors, we hereby declare that our business will continue as usual despite our conscription to the front and ask our honorable customers to remain loyal to us."
Unfortunately, the Marktbreit city archives do not include a list of the soldiers who fought in the war. There is only a list of the fallen and missing Marktbreit residents.
There are records (A064/3) that Jenny Klein signed war bonds for 1500 marks, as did Hugo Klein.
In the same file, there is also a letter from the commander of the 18th Infantry Regiment, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand, stating that war volunteer Joseph Astruck was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, for a special act of arms. He had fought bravely at the Somme since September 18, 1915 and fell in France in 1917.
A memorial in the Jewish Cemetery in Rödelsee honors the Jewish soldiers who fell in the communities in the district of Kitzingen, who buried their dead there.
Not all the fallen could be buried in their native soil.
Abraham Lauber fell in Russia in 1917, was buried there, and his family had the body transferred to Marktbreit and buried in Rödelsee.
We can see from his wife's thank-you ad, which appeared in the Marktbreiter Anzeiger on January 29, 1918, that the funeral was held with military honors. She thanks the veterans and comrades-in-arms association, the volunteer fire department and the war veterans' associations from Rödelsee and Mainbernheim for the honorable escort.
In the protocol book 3 of the Krieger- und Kampfgenossenverein Marktbreit,
the following entry can be found on January 15, 1918 under point I: When the member comrade Abraham Lauber is buried in his native soil (Rödelsee), the association is to participate and the necessary vehicle is to be paid from the association's funds.
They lived and worked together, went to war together, fought courageously for the fatherland and died in combat. They also bore their grief together.
The war memorials in Marktbreit, at the former synagogue and in front of St. Nikolai Church, bear witness to this. In Schillerallee are the memorial stones for the fallen members of the Marktbreit Gymnastics Club and the Marktbreit Sports Club.
No one ever had the names of the Jewish fallen of World War I erased from the memorials. Not even between 1933 and 1945 during the Nazi era. The respect for the heroic death always existed.
The memorial at the synagogue, inscribed in Hebrew letters, was removed and stowed in the cellar, but preserved. Today it can be seen again by everyone at the back of the former synagogue in Schustergasse.
In 1921, the Veterans and Comrades Association submitted an application to the city council to erect a memorial for the fallen of the First World War.
The Marktbreit city council unanimously approved this application at its meeting on March 1, 1921. (A061/1)
Various locations were discussed. The square in front of the district court (today's Schlossplatz), in front of the warehouse (Adam-Fuchs-Straße) and in front of the Protestant St. Nikolai Church were under discussion. It was decided that the statue should be located in front of the church in Pfarrgasse, as it is today.
The city commissioned the Munich art professor Fritz Fuchsberger to design it. As can be seen from the correspondence between the professor and the city, it took some time before agreement was reached, also for financial reasons. A fund was set up for the implementation. City councilman Abraham Goldbach was also on the supervisory committee for donations. A donation of 1000 M was received from Julius Astruck in Munich. Many Marktbreit families participated with donations according to their means.
Local craftsmen were commissioned to carry out the work. Since the Bavarian Warrior Federation wanted to hold the 2nd Gautag in Marktbreit on August 6, 1922, the work was accelerated. The monument was unveiled with a big program (see festival program of August 6, 1922 /A061/3). The Marktbreit Anzeiger published a multi-page report on August 8, 1922, and a leaflet was printed listing all those killed and missing in the war.
The town of Marktbreit still commemorates the victims of all wars and military conflicts at the memorial on Remembrance Day. The names of the Jewish soldiers who fought and died for their fatherland are also engraved on the memorial.
- Astruck Joseph
- Astruck Simon
- Goldstein Martin
- Lauber Abraham
- Putzel Julius