People

Descendants of Aaron and Rieke Behr repeatedly appear as merchants in Lüneburg in the late 19th century. They played an important role in the town - even though Aaron and Rieke themselves only lived in Lüneburg for a good 15 years.

Aaron Behr was born in Großenkneten in 1828, the son of Philip Behr and his wife Mindel Aaron. His wife Rieke Levy (later confusingly referred to as Rieke Oss after her father changed his name) was born in Wunstorf in 1827 to Levy Simon Oss and Rachel née Lappmann.

When the two married in Winschoten, the Netherlands, on February 17, 1853, they already had two sons who were recognized as joint children on the birth certificate. Presumably, this civil marriage had long been preceded by a religious Jewish wedding.

The birthplaces of their nine children, born between 1850 and 1871, indicate that Aaron Behr worked as a travelling merchant in northwestern Germany: Wanna/Amt Otterndorf, Hoya, Sulingen, Vilsen, Bremervörde, Neustadt am Rübenberge, Scharmbeck. In Scharmbeck, the family stayed from about 1870 to 1885.

From Scharmbeck, Aaron and Rieke Behr moved to Lüneburg, where their three sons Philipp, Nathan and Meyer already lived with their wives Jeanette, Auguste and Friederike nee Marcus. In the Lüneburg address book, Aaron Behr was now listed as a merchant. Together with Rieke, he ran a clothing and shoe store at Lüner Straße 2. The family lived at Im Wendischen Dorfe 29.

In 1903, Aaron Behr died in Lüneburg and was buried in the town"s Jewish cemetery. His widow Rieke moved to Hamburg after his death, but was also buried in the Lüneburg cemetery in 1906.

Sources and info:

Winschoten marriage certificate for Aron and Rieke Behr

Name variants: Aron Abraham Bähr Baehr