Honoring German-Jewish Soldiers
A ceremony in France restores Jewish identities overlooked for more than a century

Correcting Historical Inaccuracies

The ceremony was part of Operation Levi, a program of the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund) in cooperation with Operation Benjamin to identify German Jewish soldiers killed in World War One fighting for Germany and mistakenly buried under Latin Crosses. The Alfred Landecker Foundation supports the program. Through historical research, family engagement and public commemorative ceremonies, the project restores public recognition of the Jewish identity of German-Jewish soldiers whose graves have remained incorrectly marked for generations.

At the ceremony, descendants, religious leaders, military representatives, diplomats and historians from several countries came together to honor the soldiers. For many of those commemorated, Kaddish - the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead - was recited at their graves for the first time.

A Story Beyond the Battlefield

The project sheds light on a largely overlooked chapter of German-Jewish history. Many German Jews volunteered to fight in the First World War, believing their service would affirm their place in German society. 

For the Alfred Landecker Foundation, supporting this work is closely connected to the biography of its namesake. Alfred Landecker was himself a German Jew and volunteer soldier in the First World War. He returned from the front in 1918 as a sergeant and a recipient of the Iron Cross Second Class. Like many Jewish soldiers who enlisted, Landecker believed that demonstrating his patriotism in this way would shield him from antisemitic hostility. It was a bitter realisation, some years later, that this hope had been nothing more than an illusion. Despite his service, he was persecuted and murdered by the Nazis in 1942. 

Research, Remembrance and Education

The replacement of headstones represents only one part of the initiative. Historical and genealogical research, family outreach, photographic and film documentation, and the development of educational resources are central components of the project.

Together, these activities build a growing archive that preserves individual biographies while creating new opportunities for historical learning. By documenting the lives of German-Jewish soldiers and making their stories accessible to wider audiences, the project contributes to a more nuanced understanding of Jewish-German history and its significance for the present.