New construction of the Talmud Torah School - Additional Info Landmarks of Jewish History
In the late nineteenth century, many Jews moved from Hamburg-Neustadt to new residential areas outside Dammtor. A large number of Jewish cultural, social, and everyday institutions developed there. Around 1900, several prestigious new buildings were constructed, an expression of legal emancipation and increasing pluralization in the Jewish community.
In 1805, the Talmud Torah School was founded as a school for the poor in the Congregation. Housed in a building on Elbstrasse, later on Kohlhöfen, the school offered a curriculum featuring traditional religious content. Under Isaak Bernays, secular subjects were also introduced. The new building on Grindelhof, opened in 1911, reflects this change: Then a modern secondary school, its subjects and teaching methods were repeatedly reformed in the years ahead. The school’s social guiding principle remained in place until its closure in 1942.
Israelite Girls’ School
In addition to the Talmud Torah School for boys, the Congregation also maintained two small schools for poor girls. In 1884, these were merged into the Israelite Girls’ School in a new school building. It was an intermediate secondary school (‘Realschule’) where religious and secular subjects were taught. The building on Karolinenstrasse had, for example, a teaching kitchen and a modern chemistry lab. In 1939, the girls’ school was forcibly merged with the Talmud Torah School.
New Residential Areas
Until the mid-nineteenth century, the Jewish center was located in Hamburg-Neustadt. Since 1768, city regulations had restricted settlement to a few streets. After civil equality was achieved and the ‘gate barrier’ (‘Torsperre’) was lifted in 1861, many Jews moved to newly developed residential areas outside the Dammtor: Harvestehude, Rotherbaum, Eppendorf, and Grindel. At times, Jewish residents made up about 15% of the population there. However, they never constituted the majority.
CAPTIONS
Class of the Talmud Torah School
Fotografie, um 1900, Bildarchiv Institut für die Geschichte der deutschen Juden, Signatur 21-015/012
Since the school was founded, its curriculum had combined traditional Judaism with modern education. The boys were taught by Jewish and Christian teachers. From 1932, it was possible to take the university entrance qualification (‘Abitur’) at the secondary school (‘Oberrealschule’). From 1933, the senior grades were also open to female students.
Class of the Israelite Girls’ School
Fotografie, um 1930, Bildarchiv Institut für die Geschichte der deutschen Juden, Signatur 21-015/120
From an Orthodox perspective, girls were not allowed to study the Talmud. Secular education, on the other hand, was permitted. However, it had long been neglected by the Congregation. At the Israelite Girls’ School, up to 500 female students from all social strata could now obtain various degrees.
Map of Hamburg and Altona
E. Schuback (illustrator), J. Guntrum (printer), lithograph, 1862, Hamburg State and University Library Carl von Ossietzky, call number Kt H 156
The historic downtown, located in the eastern part of the city protected by ramparts, became Hamburg’s first Jewish residential area beginning in the sixteenth century. Sephardic Jews settled there. Shortly afterward, the Ashkenazi population settled in Hamburg-Neustadt, in the western part of the circular ramparts.
Temple on Oberstrasse
Photograph, circa 1930, Hamburg State Archives, reference number 720-1/1-141-16 = 05/1
Soon the temple on Poolstrasse, built in 1844, was no longer located in the preferred Jewish residential area. In 1931, a new building was thus dedicated on Oberstrasse. The first synagogue in Germany built in the New Building style (‘Neues Bauen’), it was designed by architects Felix Ascher and Ernst Friedmann.
Mary Marcus
Educator and School Principal, 1844–1930
Photography, around 1910, Archive Memorial and Educational Centre Jewish Girls’ School, reference number 07:06
Mary Marcus headed the Israelite Girls’ School from 1868 to 1924. She championed the education and vocational training of girls, even against resistance from the Congregation. To this end, she used progressive teaching methods. She sought in particular to counteract social disadvantage.
Moritz Warburg
Banker, 1838–1910
Photography, 1899, The Warburg Institute
Moritz Warburg supported various Jewish and non-Jewish institutions in Hamburg. Among other things, he was involved in the founding of the Hamburg Scientific Foundation (‘Hamburgische Wissenschaftliche Stiftung’). He was also active in the Congregation and donated a large part of the costs toward new construction of the Talmud Torah School on Grindelhof.
Glossar
Neues Bauen (‘New Building’ style)
The ‘New Building’ style is an architectural term from the 1920s that describes modern, functional architecture. Typical features include clear forms and the use of new building materials such as steel and glass.
Realschule
Since the 19th century, secondary schools offering practical, vocational training have been referred to as Realschulen. The qualification obtained at a Gymnasium was geared towards university studies.
Talmud und Torah
The Torah is the holy scripture of Judaism and consists of the five books of Moses. The Hebrew term means ‘teaching’ and ‘law’. The Talmud is a later collection of commentaries on the Torah and forms the basis of Jewish religious law.