Cemetery

In Czech Osoblaha, formerly Hotzenplotz (Yiddish Hotzplotz) is the largest Jewish cemetery in the Czech Republic after Prague. More than 100 gravestones with Hebrew and German inscriptions can be found on the hilly grounds. The oldest graves date back to the 17th century. The cemetery was used not only by the Jewish inhabitants of Hotzenplotz, but for many decades also by surrounding communities, e.g. Weidenau (now Vidnava). Hotzenplotz itself had in its heyday more than 5,000 inhabitants, more than half of whom were of the Jewish faith.

The cemetery was founded in 1752 by the purchase of a plot of land "An den weißen Bergen" by three Schutzjuden of Bleckede named in the purchase deed, Emanuel Hertz, Salomon Mosis and Benjamin David. In 1802, the cemetery was expanded to its present size by another land purchase. A death list exists for the period from 1789 to 1935.

6 tombstones, red sandstone, bordered by a hedge

A Jewish cemetery in Niederzissen was first mentioned in 1763 (Bürger, U.: Chronik Niederzissen p. 517). Here the Jews of the dominions of Olbrück, Kempenich, Bürresheim and Burgbrohl were buried. Beginning in 1820 there was a lengthy legal dispute with the local community over the ownership of the cemetery grounds; in 1852 Isaac Berger was able to acquire the grounds on behalf of the Jewish community. In 1938 the cemetery was desecrated, some gravestones were destroyed. In 1942 the last burial took place.