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I. Buildings Integral to the Former Life and/or Persecution of Jews in Hamburg - Neustadt/St. Pauli.© Wilhelm Mosel, Deutsch-jüdische Gesellschaft Hamburg. 17. No. 11 Neanderstraße/Jan-Valkenburg-Straße.
The desire for a school for children of the poor was so far advanced among leading men of the Gemeinde Altona in Hamburg (Altona Jewish Community in Hamburg) by the beginning of the 19th century that in 1805 an Israelitische Armenschule der Talmud Tora (Israelite Talmud Torah Charity School) was opened at No. 10 in the former Dritte Elbstraße. The building was donated by the wealthy community members M. Lemann and I.M. Ruben. The Altona Community made a contribution and initially covered deficits in the school's budget. Schooling was free except for sons of wealthy parents and for sons of parents who were non-members of the Altona Community.
The school was administered by the 18 man community board. In the early years the school emphasized religious subjects. The 60 pupils admitted in 1805 were taught by 4 teachers of religion, and a teacher for reading, writing and arithmetic. During the seige of Hamburg by the French the Talmud Torah schools of Hamburg (in a courtyard in Neuer Steinweg), and of Wandsbek ceased to exist. The Israelitische Armenschule der Talmud Tora (Israelite Talmud Torah Charity School) in Altona continued in existence and received children from all three Jewish communities. In 1821 Isaac Bernays (1792-1849) was elected chief rabbi of the Deutsche- Israelitischen Gemeinde in Hamburg (German-Israelite Community in Hamburg) and simultaneously Ephorus of the Israelitische Armenschule der Talmud Tora (Israelite Talmud Torah Charity School). He devoted himself to the school. He entered office at the beginning of a new era of traditional orthodox Judaism. He made this evident by using the sephardi title chacham instead of rabbi.
In a report on educational reform he advocated that the function of Jewish schools should be
to educate children to become citizens and Jews. To this purpose the German
language, writing, arithmetic, natural history, geography and history were to be taught.
Religious education was to be restricted to a basic level.
Menachem Mendel Frankfurter (1743-1823) was the most resolute individual in the
establishment of the Israelitische Armenschule der Talmud Tora (Israelite Talmud Torah
Charity School). Born in Hamburg, he later became a teacher and businessman in Frankfuth am
Main and Berlin. In Berlin he became acquainted with Moses Mendelssohn and held him in
veneration. Frankfurter was a member of the board of the Altona Jewish Community and a
member of the committee for the teaching of boys of poor parents. Later he became the
chairman of the Altona rabbinical court, without accepting the title or pay of a rabbi,
although he was not a paticularly wealthy man. In 1804 Frankfurter's endeavours succeeded
in arousing interest in an independent charity school with a close connection to the
Altona Community. The school was established in the house, that in 1900 was made No. 122
in the former Elbstraße, and which still stood at the turn of this century, although it
was sold in 1857 for businesses and flats, with a prayer hall in one of the rooms.
It had three storeys with five windows above the ground floor, and an attic room. A room
functioned as office and meeting room where parents and teachers met. Board resolutions were
valid only when made here. Teachers had to remain the entire day in the school building. The pupils were allowed to leave the school premises for an hour at lunchtime. Evening lessons took place with light from candles or oil. School was also held on Sabbath and festivals. It can be assumed that on certain days of the year afternoons were free. There was never a whole day in the year completely free from school. Today a school building, the Schule Jan-Valkenburg-Straße, again occupies this site at No. 11 Jan-Valkenburg-Straße.
German text: Dipl.-Pol. Wilhelm Mosel, Deutsch-Jüdische Gesellschaft, Hamburg.
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