Haggadah Collections » Post Card WWI German Army Passover Celebrations 1915-1918

Post Card WWI German Army Passover Celebrations 1916-1917, Ponevezh, Lithuania

Led by Rabbi Jacob Sonderling, seen in the middle.

This rare Feldpost (military postcard) offers a heartbreaking glimpse into the life of Isaac Kahn, a Jewish-German soldier serving in the Landsturm (reserve unit) during World War I. Sent from Ponevezh (Panevėžys, Lithuania) to his wife, Rosa Kahn, in their home village of Burgpreppach, Bavaria, the message reflects a moment of profound Jewish solidarity amidst the machinery of war.

In the photograph, a group of Jewish German soldiers—many in their 40s, 50s and 60s—gather for a religious service led by the renowned Field Rabbi Dr. Jacob Sonderling.

Isaac writes home with pride:

“I want to send you a photograph where Rabbi Doctor Sonderling of Hamburg gave a sermon for the Jewish German soldiers here in Ponevezh. I ate Matzah during the days of Pesach, which was donated by the community board of Ponevezh… Splendid food in a Jewish hotel.”

For Isaac, a German patriot, celebrating Passover with the local Litvak community was a point of pride. He saw himself as both a loyal defender of the Reich and a faithful son of Israel.

The Tragic Epilogue

The true weight of this postcard lies in what followed. Isaac’s son, Siegfried Kahn, followed in his father’s footsteps, serving as a decorated soldier in the same war. Yet, two decades later, the state they both served turned against them.

Despite generations of military service, Isaac’s family was systematically murdered in the Shoah. We honor the memory of those who were lost:

Siegfried Kahn (Son of Isaac and Rosa): Born August 15, 1892. A WWI veteran. Deported from Würzburg to the East on April 25, 1942. Murdered in Auschwitz, 1944.
Thekla Kahn (née Ochs, Daughter-in-law): Born March 28, 1897. Deported with her husband on April 25, 1942. Murdered in the Holocaust.
Nathan Gabriel Kahn (Grandson): Born March 16, 1927. Only 15 years old when deported with his parents. Murdered in the Holocaust.
Suse Kahn (Granddaughter): Born August 6, 1929. Only 12 years old when deported with her parents. Murdered in the Holocaust.
Gertrud Kahn (Daughter of Isaac and Rosa): Born November 7, 1891. Deported and murdered in the Holocaust.

This postcard remains a silent witness to a time when a Jewish soldier could still believe that his devotion to his country and his faith were one and the same. It is a small, paper fragment of a world that was soon to be unimaginablemente destroyed.

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