Sephardic Genealogy in Germany: Hamburg and the German States

Hamburg and Altona

History of Sephardic Jews in Hamburg / Altona

Portuguese Jews began settling in Hamburg around the 1580s, initially treated as Christians due to their valuable trade connections. By 1612, approximately 125 Sephardic Jews lived in Hamburg, growing to 600 by 1663. Despite facing periodic opposition and restrictions, the community thrived, benefiting from their economic importance to the city.

Key dates:

  • 1603: First official designation as “Jews”
  • 1612: Residence permission granted for five years
  • 1650: Private religious practice permitted
  • 1697: Increased restrictions led to emigration to Altona and Amsterdam

Genealogical Resources

Archives

The archives of the Hamburg Portuguese Jewish community are divided between:

1. Hamburg State Archives (Staatsarchiv Hamburg)

2. Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP), part of the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem

Each location holds original documents and microfilm copies of the other’s holdings.

Vital Records

CAHJP holdings include:

1. Birth Registers (Geburtsregister):

   – Volume I: 1749-1864

   – Volume II: (1797-) 1817-1900

2. Marriage Contracts (Ehevertragsbücher):

   – Volume I: 1696-1845 (Hebrew)

   – Volume II: 1847-1932 (Hebrew)

   – 16 original parchment contracts

3. Death Registers (Totenregister):

   – Burial brotherhood records: 1675-1760

   – Gravestone directory: 1874

   – List of new gravestones: 1902

Cemetery Records

The Königstrasse cemetery in Altona has records from 1675 to 1902.

Additional Resources for Sephardic Hamburg

A. Protokollbücher excerpts: Translated by Isaac Cassuto and published in the Jahrbuch der Jüdisch-Literarischen Gesellschaft (1908-1920). These have been digitised by the Goethe University of Frankfurt.

B. Hamburg State Archives: Contains records on Portuguese Jews from 1812 onwards.

C. Institut für die Geschichte der deutschen Juden (IGdJ): Holds an archive with data on Hamburg’s Portuguese Jews.

D. Books and Publications

  •    Michael Studemund-Halevy’s “Biographisches Lexikon der Hamburger Sefarden“. This is a major resource for Sephardic genealogy in Hamburg.
  •    Hermann Kellenbenz’s “Sephardim an der unteren Elbe” (1958)
  •    Alfonso Cassuto’s “Gedenkschrift” (1927)
  •    Isaac S. Schwabacher’s “Geschichte und rechtliche Gestaltung” (1914)

E. Jacob Jacobson Collection: Includes the 1774-1797 Minute book of the Chevra Kadisha Hesed Vehemet of Congregation Neve Salom of Altona.

F. Local Resources in Hamburg

Sephardic Jews of the Other German States

While Hamburg and Altona were major centres of Sephardic settlement, other German states also welcomed Sephardic Jews, offering refuge and business opportunities. Here’s an overview of Sephardic presence in other German locations:

Bremen

Limited information available. See resources related to Sweden for potential connections.

Emden

  • Located in East Frisia, on the route to Amsterdam for some Sephardic Jews
  • Moses Uri ha-Levy (1594-1620), former rabbi of Emden, became the first Haham of the Portuguese community in Amsterdam
  • Portuguese Jews received privileges in 1649, renewed in 1703
  • Alfonso Cassuto’s paper “Über portugiesische Juden in Emden” details five Portuguese Jewish burials between 1705 and 1708

Frankfurt

  • No permanent New Christian presence confirmed
  • Portuguese merchants known to travel there for trade, e.g., Henrico Alvarez
  • Potential information in “Jüdische Merckwürdigkeiten” by Johann Jakob Schudt (1714)

Danzig (now Gdansk in Poland)

Danzig, 1628

  • Substantial trade by Sephardic merchants from Amsterdam, reported in the Amsterdam notarial archives
  • David de Lima mentioned in records from 1644
  • Spanish Inquisition records found by Ton Tielen report a small Portuguese Jewish community in Danzig in the late 17th Century. They appear to have left.
  • Potential resources: Maria Bogucka’s “Kupcy żydowscy w Gdańsku w pierwszej połowie XVII wieku” (Jewish Merchants in Gdansk in the First Half of the 17th Century), Acta Poloniae Historica 65 (1992)
  • In Inquisition records, Ton Tielen has discovered a report of Amsterdam Sephardim living in Danzig.

Hanau-Münzenberg

  • Possible Portuguese Jewish presence
  • Jewish printing press reported
  • Potential resource: Stadtarchiv Hanau

Mannheim / The Palatinate

  • Elector Charles Louis welcomed various denominations, including Portuguese Jews
  • On 1 September 1660, two Portuguese families among 13 granted settlement permission
  • Potential resource: Stadtarchiv Mannheim

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