What happened at Kornhausgasse 8 in 1936/7?
Searching for Traces by Carolin Mücke
Searching for Traces, by Carolin Mücke, Jewish Studies, Freiburg
The Jewish Museum of Switzerland was founded almost sixty years ago in Basel’s Kornhausgasse 8. What was the history of the house? Barbara Häne, historian and Jewish Museum employee, discovered a reference in the book «Bewegte Zeiten» by Noëmi Sibold –footnote number 72 on page 254 – that the property had provided shelter for refugees in the 1930s. To verify this information, I went to the State Archives of Basel-Stadt. Thanks to the guidance of the team of the State Archives, I searched through the annual reports of the Israelitische Fürsorge und Armenpflege (Jewish Charity and Care for the Poor) of the Jewish Community of Basel with the inventory number StABS, IGB-REGa H 4 (1). According to the annual reports of 1936 and 1937, the Jewish Charity, «Israelitische Fürsorge», had its office premises at Kornhausgasse 8. Thanks to beds provided by the Red Cross, the Jewish community’s vice-president at the time, Charles Nordmann, was able to provide shelter for 477 refugees while they waited to emigrate, in some cases for several months.
For the history of Switzerland, the fact that the house had once sheltered Jewish refugees is of great importance. We would like to invite anyone who personally remembers the history of Kornhausgasse 8 to contact us.
verfasst am 06.05.2022
Foto © Carolin Mücke
A Conversation with
Fabio Luks
Unanimous Decision of the
Grand Council