It wasn't just the sultriness that drew visitors into the relative coolness of the former synagogue on Sunday evening, but the topic of the evening: a reading from the autobiography of Jewish entrepreneur Aron Benario from Obernbreit. And they were not disappointed. Speaker Angela Nusko and Diethart Bischof in the role of the man portrayed presented the stages of a Jewish life. The boy, who grew up as a half-orphan without a proper education, became a haulage contractor who played a key role in the construction of the railway in the region by supplying the materials for building the dam. He then founded an unrivalled ironmongery business in Obernbreit.
What makes his notes particularly valuable is the reflection of many details from ‘big politics’, which transported the audience into the world of the 19th century. For example, he reports on the role of a small shop in the standardisation of the currency after the founding of the German Customs Union, or the outbreak of anti-Semitism after the revolution of 1848. But local conditions are not left unmentioned either: the working hours when building a house, the work of the local council, to which he was the first Jew to be elected, and also the small frictions in the village community.
The audience was particularly captivated by the exciting staging. Where historical illustrations were missing, they were replaced by images created by Matthias Walz with the help of artificial intelligence. Music from recordings and live music played and sung by Josef Nusko further enriched the performance.
Towards the end of his life, Aron Benario drew a very ambivalent résumé. He sold his business in Obernbreit. A son founded the Benario department store in Marktbreit, which existed until the 1930s.
Around 40 guests, aged between 12 and 92, thanked for the informative evening with long applause. Numerous questions from the audience afterwards testified to the great impression the event had made. Friedrich Heidecker, who had prepared and organised the reading, received an extra round of applause.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
