Gottschalk Joseph Ballin

In 1811, Oldenburg was awarded to the French Empire. During the period of French occupation, when Jews had equal rights, Gottschalk Joseph Ballin together with his brothers Cosmann and Samuel Joseph were attracted to Oldenburg. On April 7, 1812, Gottschalk Joseph Ballin and his brother Cosmann Ballin founded a Ellenwarenhandlung in Oldenburg. In addition to running the store, the brothers were already involved in banking. This sideline activity eventually gave rise to the banking house "C. & G. Ballin" in 1815. Cosmann Ballin died on January 25, 1820. He drowned on the return trip from a purchase on the Weser while crossing. After this fatal accident of his brother, Gottschalk Ballin continued the business alone. The banking business did not take on a significant scale until 1854. In this year, the bank separated from the Ellenwarenhandlung. In mid-May of 1854, Gottschalk Ballin transferred the manufactured goods business to his son Carl and his nephew Siegfried Hahlo. In 1857, the Oldenburg Insurance Company was founded. Among the founders was Gottschalk Joseph Ballin. In mid-1872, Gottschalk Ballin retired from the banking business as a pensioner.

On November 8, 1820, Gottschalk Joseph Ballin married his cousin Bräunchen, also a native of Goldschmidt. The Ballin family tree documents five children: Johanna, Mathilde, Carl Joseph, Emma, Georg Bernard and Wilhelm. All of the children achieved economic success and, with the exception of daughter Emma, detached themselves from their religious ties by having Christian spouses. The sources only report that Ballin had two of his sons with Bräunchen Goldschmidt. Whether the other children also came from this marriage is not known.

The Ballin family lived for several generations in the residential building at Theaterwall 41, which was built in 1848. In 1898, the building was expanded and rebuilt in 1952. From the monument register of 1977/78, it is clear that the villa is a two-story, plastered solid building with a basement floor. The attic is developed and the two storefronts are decorated with differentiated and rich renaissance ornamental facades. From 1848 to 1876 Gottschalk Joseph Ballin lived with his family in the residential building. After his death, his widow and children continued to live at Theaterwall. In 1883, after the death of his widow, his daughter and co-owner Johanne Lamping, née Ballin lived alone in the house by purchase or transfer. In 1897, Gottschalk's son Carl Joseph Ballin purchased the residence. From 1918 to 1935, his sons, the bank director Wilhelm as well as Ernst Ballin, lived there. In the period from 1935 to 1941, only Wilhelm inhabited the house. In 1941, his sons Dr. Karl Ballin and Dr. Ernst August Ballin, both government councilors, each bought 50% of the residential house on Theaterwall.

In addition to his lively activities within the professional world, Gottschalk Joseph Ballin advanced to co-founder of the Jewish community in Oldenburg. On April 2, 1822, he was unanimously elected head of the Jewish community in Oldenburg. He held this office until March 1, 1855, when he applied to be relieved of it. In 1854 he took part in the dedication of the new synagogue in Peterstraße in Oldenburg.

Gottschalk Joseph Ballin was particularly committed in his work for the equality of Jews compared to Christians. His ambition and commitment were reflected in a petition to the duchy. The reason for his request was based on the still existing system of letters of protection, which was incorporated into the new Jewish Law in 1827. On February 13, 1815, Gottschalk and his brother Cosmann were issued a letter of protection themselves. The petition was taken over word for word by Leo Trepp, once state rabbi in Oldenburg, in his work Die Oldenburger Judenschaft (1973). Trepp emphasizes in his preface with regard to Ballin's writing, "One is unlikely to find a work that sets forth in such a relatively narrow framework the mental, spiritual, and political situation of the Jews, gives the historical background, summarizes the teachings of Judaism regarding the relationship between Jews and the homeland, and outlines the current situation" (Trepp 1973: 57).

In his petition Ballin, full of reverence and appreciation, names the progress regarding the equality of Jews within the various federal states and asks to build on it. At the same time, he seeks to continue to eliminate existing prejudices. In particular, he emphasized the willingness of Jews to become part of the whole. The decisive prerequisite is the equality of Jews: "If, however, it is important for the state to mitigate the separatist element that still exists to some extent in Judaism, then equality is certainly the most suitable means for this. Already now, and especially since the situation of the Jews began to become more tolerable here and there, a reform within Judaism has begun" (Trepp 1973: 73). It was not until 1849 that its aspirations were fulfilled, with a new constitution for the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg coming into force.