Remembrance as a duty and no place for anti-Semitism
Holocaust Remembrance Day In Rexingen, the crimes of the Nazis are commemorated. The board of the synagogue association and the mayors of Horb and Freudenstadt take a stand.

At the memorial service in the former synagogue in Rexingen, singing teacher Ruth Frenz from Konstanz recounted her family history and that of her family members who were murdered by the Nazis. The mayor of Freudenstadt, Adrian Sonder, the mayor of Horb, Michael Keßler, and local councilor Martina Franz from Rexingen also sent a signal with their participation that they support the memory of the victims of National Socialism in our region.

The mayors issued a joint statement saying, “There is no place for anti-Semitism in our two cities, whether politically motivated or religiously based. Should such tendencies arise here, we will not let them go unchallenged.”

Of empty spaces and secondary witnesses
Rexingen is a place that is inextricably linked to the history of Jewish life – but also to the history of persecution and extermination. More than 125 people were deported from Rexingen and murdered. Only three survived. These numbers represent destroyed lives, families that were wiped out, and a void that is still felt today, according to a statement from the synagogue association.

To date, only 68 stumbling stones have been laid in the Horb area, 32 of them in Rexingen. They are, writes chairwoman Andrea Dettling, a sign that these people had names, faces, families. A sign that their stories will not be forgotten. The Rexingen Synagogue Association is committed to keeping the memory of Jewish families from Horb alive, documenting their life stories, and facilitating the laying of further stumbling stones, especially in contact with descendants.

These days, it is not only in Rexingen that people are remembering. All over the world, descendants and relatives of the deportees are commemorating their families – often far away, but inwardly closely connected to this place. “One message that reached the association from Liliana Löwenstein in Argentina is representative of this,” says Dettling. "She sent a collage of the stumbling stone laying ceremony on April 29, 2023, which she attended in Rexingen, with the hashtag #WeRemember. The photo shows the Stolpersteine of the murdered women Auguste and Juditha Löwenstein as well as Gertrud Pollak, née Löwenstein, together with a picture of the visit to Rexingen with other descendants (Laura Young (USA) with husband Michael, Dr. Kitty Schneider (Germany) with son Andreji, Lea Raps (Israel) with husband Eliezer and association members Andrea Dettling, Barbara Staudacher & Heinz Högerle).

Liliana sent warm greetings to the association and wrote that she felt a double connection with Ruth Frenk from Konstanz, the speaker at the Sunday event, as her grandfather Heinrich Löwenstein, who was born in Rexingen, had also lived in Konstanz before he and his family were able to save themselves by emigrating to Argentina. Dettling: “This picture makes it clear what this is all about: memories that continue to have an impact across generations – and which are to be continued through the work of the association.”

She warmly greeted the association and felt a double connection with the speaker at the Sunday event, Ms. Ruth Frenk from Konstanz, as her grandfather Heinrich Löwenstein, who was born here in Rexingen, had also lived in Konstanz before he and his family were able to save themselves by emigrating to Argentina. This image clearly illustrates what today is all about: memories that live on across generations – and which are to be continued through the work of the association.

As the era of eyewitnesses slowly comes to an end, the era of secondary witnesses begins, according to the chairwoman. “There are the children of the survivors who grew up with the stories of war, persecution, flight, and loss – and were shaped by them. They carry these memories forward and give them a voice.”

 #weremember and hope that you and your families are fine and will see us again here in Rexingen or Horb, keeping the memory to your families alive as well as the connection to you.