Old jewish cemetery

This is where the Jewish community buried its dead from 1607 to 1906.

The earth under your feet carries echoes of the past and reminds us of Jewish people who once lived here in Fürth. It is therefore fitting that walking tours through Jewish Fürth start in a place of remembrance or a ‘house of eternity’ as Jewish cemeteries are referred to in Hebrew.

Since the first burial in 1607, 20,000 people have been laid to rest here under the birches, ashes and elms. Back then, Jewish families had already been living in Fürth, or Fiorda as it is known in Hebrew, for 80 years. However, for all those years, they had been forced to take their dead to Baiersdorf, 30 kilometres away, or Schnaittach, which is even further away. Therefore a major burden was lifted when they were finally allowed to bury their dead in Fürth.

Sandstone, which is quarried in and around Fürth, was used to make the headstones. These are strikingly similar since the Jewish faith states that everyone is equal in death. Plants in a Jewish cemetery grow naturally. Seeds are blown there on the wind and the small stones scattered around the graves are laid to commemorate the Jews’ migration through the desert according to the Jewish faith. Despite desecration which occurred under the Nazis, this cemetery is an impressive monument to the lives of Jewish people in Fürth.

It is a place of remembrance and the graves were created for eternity and the peace of the graves must not be disturbed.