Draft:Ludwig Lipsker

Ludwig Lipsker (28th February 1921 in Homburg, Germany - 25th November 2010 in Saarbrücken, Germany), was a german businessman and member of the board of directors of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.

Life and works

Lipsker was the son of Marcus Leib Lipsker and Zlata Derschowitz.

At the end of the year 1935, he and his parents emigrated to Mandatory Palestine. He joined the Hagganah and became a member of the Palmach, and took part in the independence war after the creation of the state of Israel. Afterwards, he served as an officer in the Israeli Merchant Navy, where he met his wife, Rachel Eckstein.

In 1954, he returned to live in Saarland (Germany), where he built a livelihood through business activities and his entrepreneurial endeavors. For over 30 years, he volunteered his time to the Saar Synagogue Community, becoming a member of both its representative body and council board. He served for many years as the chairman of the representative body and for 10 years as the chairman of the board, as well as a member of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.

In 1993, as the chairman of the synagogue community, Ludwig Lipsker entered into negotiations with the Saarland government to establish a state treaty for financial contributions. This treaty was of great importance to Lipsker in securing the perpetual existence of the synagogue community, and he worked hard to reach an agreement. In 2001, a state treaty with Saarland was eventually concluded, in which annual financial support was legally guaranteed.

Coming from a religious upbringing, Lipsker was also one of the few members of the Saar Synagogue Community capable of leading services as a cantor. For years, he voluntarily assisted as a cantor for Yahrzeit services, on Shabbat, and on holidays like Yom Kippur, especially during times when there was no rabbi serving in Saarbrücken.

Throughout the years, Ludwig Lipsker was particularly distinguished by his social commitment, his efforts toward Jewish-Christian cooperation and friendship, and the integration of newly immigrated Jews from the former Soviet Union. For his dedication, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1st Class, in 2003.

Personal life

After an initial marriage in Israel that ended in divorce, Ludwig Lipsker was married for over 60 years to his wife Rachel Eckstein, a Holocaust survivor. Together, they raised three children: Benjamin, from his first marriage, who became a general practitioner, and Margit and Dan from his second marriage, who became respectively a conference interpreter and a professor (MD, PhD) of dermatology.