DIGITAL CITY TOUR "JEWISH LIFE IN BREISACH"

The audiovisual tour "Jewish Life in Breisach" guides you through Breisach in German, English, and French. At 15 stations, you will learn more about the history of the cathedral city and its Jewish communities from the perspectives of Elaine Wolff and Hans David Blum, whose families had been settled in Breisach for many generations. Their explorations through 700 years of city history and the diverse Jewish life before the Shoah are complemented by audio pieces, photographs, and in-depth documents. Actors read the texts.

The city center and its business world
Elaine Wolff from New York leads you through the marketplace into the vibrant hustle and bustle of the business world before 1933. From the textile and hardware stores of the Dreyfuss, Weil, and Bähr families, to the tavern and brewery world of the Günzburger family, the Rosenberg printing house, where popular postcard views of Breisach were created, to the train station, which played an important role in the 20th century.

The former Jewish quarter
With Hans David Blum, you will search for traces over the Münsterplatz, the synagogue square, and the Old Jewish Cemetery, through the Judengasse, the Rhine Gate, and to the inn "Zum Goldenen Adler." The members of the Jewish community are introduced in their diverse professions and their commitment to their city: cattle and horse dealers, butchers, brewers, innkeepers, or hardware merchants, a family doctor, soldiers in World War I, city councilor Ida Frank, and Ludwig Dreyfuss, the co-founder of the Breisach Festival.

Hans David Blum (1919, Breisach – 2009, New York)
Hans David Blum was born into a cattle dealer family in the Judengasse and decided to become a chronicler of the Jewish community. His parents were able to escape from the internment camp in Gurs and emigrated to New York with Hans David in 1946.

Elaine Wolff (born 1946, lives in New York)
Elaine's mother, Paula Wurmser, came from Breisach. The childhood friend of her mother and Elaine's father's friend was Hans David Blum. Whenever Elaine met him in New York, he told stories about Breisach. These stories sparked her love for the city of her ancestors.

The audio walk is free of charge. A contribution to this offering is possible via a donation button.

Concept and audio plays: Gabriele Valeska Wilczek with Christiane Walesch-Schneller
Editing: Johanna Mai, Ingrid Wenz-Gahler, Olivia Schneller
Translations: VSI-Berlin
Sound engineering: Sergio Barone, PurpleRoom Recording Studio
Audio play production: Freiburg Living History UG
Audio play direction: Lukas Müller

Role/Voice actors:
Hans David Blum: Heinzl Spagl
Elaine Wolff: Renate Obermaier
Ida Frank: Sybille Kleinschmitt
Ludwig Dreyfuss: Lukas Müller
Walter Breisacher: Jannik Sulger
Young Hans David Blum: Lars Blume
Günther Boll: Christoph Hüllstrung
Heinz Bähr: Bernd Kolarik
Getrud Auer: Sigrid Franz
Selma Ziehler: Gabriele Zink
Kurt Dreyfuss: Bernd Lafrenz
Hermann Bähr: Sebastian Menges
Louise Weil: Natalia Herrera
Christiane Walesch-Schneller: Nicole Djandji-Stahl

French version:
Hans David Blum: Michel Zin-Cuder
Elaine Wolff: Marie Wuillème

English version:
Hans David Blum: Len Shirts
Elaine Wolff: Lynn Burch