Rabbi Dr. phil. Siegfried Freund (1829–1915)

Rabbi Dr. Siegfried Freund was born in 1829 in Schmiegel (Śmigiel), in the Prussian province of Posen — at that time the town with the highest proportion of Jewish residents in all of Prussia. He came from a distinguished family of scholars and teachers. His mother, Sophie Freund, descended from the Breslau branch of the Sklower family, founders of the strictly Orthodox Sklower Schul in Breslau.

In 1842, Freund attended grammar school in Lissa (Leszno), where he also studied Talmud under Dajan Jacob Hamburger. He later continued his studies at the University of Breslau, where he belonged to the same intellectual circle as Rabbi Abraham Geiger, one of the founders of Reform Judaism. Freund graduated on April 30, 1849, and continued his scholarly pursuits in Oriental studies. On November 11, 1853, he earned his Doctorate of Philosophy, defending a dissertation on an Arabic manuscript — an uncommon achievement for a Jewish scholar in Prussia at that time.

After completing his studies, Freund remained in Breslau, where he taught religion at several high schools. His academic distinction and reputation as a thoughtful educator soon brought him to the attention of the emerging Jewish community in Görlitz. In 1856, Moritz Wieruszowski, the newly appointed chairman of the Görlitz synagogue congregation, invited the 27-year-old scholar to serve as the city’s first rabbi.

Freund formally assumed the post on January 1, 1857 — only a decade after Jews were legally permitted to settle in Görlitz following centuries of exclusion. In 1858, he married Dorothea (“Doris”) Lachmann of Görlitz. The couple would have six children, five of whom survived into adulthood, and resided first at Krölstraße 7, later at Jakobstraße 26.

Over his remarkable 57-year tenure, Rabbi Freund guided the Görlitz Jewish community through one of the most dynamic periods of its existence. He oversaw the expansion of the first synagogue on Langenstraße in 1869, and later took part in the planning of the grand new synagogue on Otto-Müller-Straße, which was inaugurated in March 1911 — an event he lived to witness with deep joy and satisfaction.

Under Freund’s leadership, the community grew from 150 members in 1852 to 643 by 1880, reflecting both demographic growth and increasing civic participation. Beyond his religious duties, Freund was a champion of education and public welfare. He taught Jewish religion in the city’s schools, helped found and support the Jewish Women’s Welfare Society, and served on various municipal and cultural committees — including those of the Silesian Music Festival, the Upper Lusatian Society of Sciences, and the Görlitz Public Library. His contemporaries described him as a man who devoted his energies to the common good, guided by tolerance, intellect, and humanity.

Freund’s service was repeatedly recognized. He was honored by both the Jewish community and municipal authorities on the 25th, 40th, and 50th anniversaries of his rabbinical service. In 1900, he received the Order of the Red Eagle (Adlerorden), 4th Class, from the Emperor. Upon his retirement on April 4, 1914, after 57 years in office, the Lord Mayor of Görlitz, Georg Snay, presented him with the Order of the Red Eagle, 3rd Class with Ribbon, in a ceremony held in the new synagogue.

At his farewell address, Freund declared that he could call upon God as his witness that he had never spoken words contrary to conviction nor offended any denomination — a statement confirmed by the interfaith attendance at his ceremony. Although a guardian of Jewish tradition, Freund promoted the spirit of the modern age by fostering understanding and tolerance among religions.

Rabbi Freund’s health began to fail soon after his retirement. He fell critically ill on November 14, 1915, and passed away two days later, on November 16, 1915, at the age of 86. His funeral took place on November 19, 1915, with his coffin laid in state in the Görlitz synagogue. The ceremony was attended by city and regional officials, school principals, and representatives of many faiths. Rabbi Dr. Emil Berger, Freund’s successor, praised him as a man who embodied Judaism, Germanism, and true humanity.

Rabbi Dr. Siegfried Freund was buried in the Görlitz Jewish Cemetery on Biesnitzer Straße, where his grave remains to this day. His wife Doris Freund died just five weeks later, on December 19, 1915, after 57 years of marriage.

Together, the Freunds symbolize the first full flowering of Jewish life in Görlitz — a period of learning, tolerance, and civic participation that would endure until the tragedies of the following generation.

© Lauren Leiderman 2025