Falk Family Collection

Collection

Identifier: LBIJER 863

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials pertaining to anniversaries of the (extended) Falk family, primarily to weddings, however also birthdays, bar mitzvahs, holidays (such as Purim and Hanukkah) etc., consisting mostly of printed, hand- and typewritten, partly richly illustrated "Tafellieder" - songs and poems performed during the celebration, created and written by family members or friends, with melodies based on German folk songs, waltzes, popular contemporary songs (e.g. "Ich bin ein Preusse", "O alte Burschenherrlichkeit", "Mit Fischen in der Halle", "Ein Maennlein steht im Walde", "So ’ne ganze kleine Frau", etc.) -, wedding "newspapers", programs, short burlesque plays, parodies, and other comical texts. Documents from the 1930s show a clear Zionist message, while earlier materials reflect a more German national tendency.

Reappearing family names besides Falk include Caro, Cohn, Kantorowicz, Loewenthal, Sand-berg, and Tuch.

The celebrations took mostly place in Breslau, others in Porgozela, Oppeln, Posen, Ratibor, Berlin, etc.

Dates

undated, 1885-1938

Creator

Falk family (Family)

Language of Materials

The collection is in German.

Conditions Governing Access

Readers may access the collection by visiting the Leo Baeck Institute in Jerusalem; we recommend reserving the collection in advance.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

The Falk family came from Breslau, Prussia. Other branches of the family were based in Porgozela, Oppeln, Posen, Ratibor, and Berlin.

Some family members immigrated to Palestine in the 1930s.