Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Jewish cemetery of Jungholtz, located in the Upper Rhine, was established in 1655. It is the oldest Jewish cemetery in the department, with steles dating from the early eighteenth century (1715) until 1923. Part of the cemetery has been classified, and part of the cemetery has been listed as historical monuments since 1991 and 1995. It is open to the public and is located rue des Tuiles and rue du Château.

The cemetery was established in the ditches of an old castle fort, of which only a wall remains today. The Schauenburgs, owners of the castle from 1475, authorized the Jews in 1655 to bury their dead there. The castle, sold as a national property in 1793, was destroyed in the 19th century, leaving room for houses.

Among the notable burials, Hirtzel Lévy's grave, broken alive in 1754 in Colmar for a crime of which he was innocent, is particularly noteworthy. Rehabilitated by Metz's parliament, he was buried in Jungholtz in 1755 after being exposed on the wheel for nearly nine months. This case illustrates the legal and social tensions of the time.

The cemetery now holds hundreds of graves, bearing witness to the history of the local Jewish community. The old part, located on Rue du Château, was classified in 1995, while the rest of the cemetery was registered in 1991. It is managed by a cultural association and remains accessible to visitors.

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