The First Marx
WILLKOMMEN
Well, where should we begin?
Today, we’ll get to know a figure who is deeply rooted in our history – Meet Baruch Mordechai – the Jew
So, who was Baruch?
Baruch was born in 1794 to his parents, Shmuel and Fanny, in the town of Gailingen – a picturesque village located right on the border with Switzerland, 75 km from Stuttgart. At that time, 140 Jewish families lived in Gailingen, making up half the population. The town was considered a significant and active Jewish community – to the extent that the mayor was a Jew named Leopold Guggenheim.
Around 1809, Baruch was the first to "adopt" the surname Marx. This happened due to new reforms that required Jews to choose official family names for purposes of registration, governance, and administration.
What else do we know about Baruch?
Baruch was a mohel (a person who performs circumcisions) and the owner of a roadside inn. At age 25, he married Esther, and together they had nine children:
Frendel (1819)
Chaim (1820)
Mathilda (1820)
Daniel (1823)
Simona (1824)
Yaakov (1825)
Sarah (1826)
Shlomo (1829)
Hirsch (1830)
At the age of 37, he was widowed from Esther, and about a year later he remarried Clara Guggenheim – who, by the way, was a relative of that same well-known mayor, Guggenheim. (Guggenheim means "estate" in Hebrew – perhaps you've heard of the famous Guggenheim family dynasty in the U.S. – but that's a story for another time...)
Baruch and Clara had 10 children:
Sarah (1833)
Shmuel (1834)
Yosef (1835)
Babette (1836)
Avraham (1837)
Cecilia (1839)
Yitzchak (1840)
Babette (1841) – yes, another Babette, and sadly, both passed away before the age of one
Leopold (1842)
Naftali (1844) – born when Baruch was 50 years old!
Advertisement from 1834 for the auction of Baruch Marx
But life wasn’t all joyful…
At the age of 49, Baruch got entangled in a legal case that ended with a large debt. The municipality announced a public auction of his house and personal belongings, which were valued at 1,100 florins (fl.).
That’s roughly equivalent to €24,750 or about ₪99,000 in today’s terms — a significant amount of money, both then (in 1843) and now.
But don’t worry about Baruch — he lived a long life, saw grandchildren and great-grandchildren — and he certainly wouldn’t have believed that 231 years later, his descendants would be learning about him.
Invitations to reflect:
In today’s world, where there’s a strong trend of using Hebrew or biblical names — would you consider changing your last name?
If every name carries meaning — did Baruch choose the name “Marx” out of fear? Does the name carry a sense of hiding, persecution, or victimhood?
Or on the contrary — was it a wise decision made for the family’s safety, offering a chance to build a new identity? Perhaps the name Marx carries pride, a new beginning, and blessing?
One thing is certain — Baruch’s decision had a powerful impact that echoed through 8 generations: The Marx Effect.
Next week — we won’t go as far as Gailingen.
Remember the oil paintings that used to hang in Lucy and Ephraim’s living room? That’s exactly what we’ll talk about in the next episode…
Shabbat Shalom!
