German WW1 soldier’s grave marked with Star of David
A Jewish soldier who fought for Germany during the First World War has had the cross on his war grave replaced with a Star of David, writes Matei Clej.
Max Regensburger was one of 12,000 German Jews who died fighting for the Kaiser. He was killed in January 1916.
His great-niece, Lizzie Regensburger, told how, some 10 years ago, she came into the possession of a letter and postcards Max had written from the front. Written in old script, they could only be translated after Lizzie’s sister found a German scholar who could read it.
Lizzie’s son found out Max was buried in the German war cemetery in St. Mihiel, near Verdun in France and in April, she and her sister went to visit his grave.
They discovered he had been buried with two other soldiers in the same plot, under a steel cross bearing the name of the three men.
Lizzie, who is not Jewish, said: “The cross troubled us because he was Jewish. At the time, we decided to accept it as we were grateful to have a marked grave of any kind.” “We had some Jewish prayers with us – the ones to be recited at the tombs of relatives. I could not recite them all as I was too upset. It was heartbreaking standing in that cemetery where several thousand young men are buried.” Encouraged by her cousin Ronald, Lizzie petitioned the German War Graves Commission to allow a Jewish grave for Max.
Her request was approved and this August, she received an email showing the new Jewish headstone just to the left of the cross. For Lizzie, her great-uncle’s tale shows the change in fortune for German Jews of his time.
She said: “I have the chilling thought that if he hadn’t been killed fighting for his country, he would doubtless have been murdered by the Nazis.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
