A Portrait of the Rabbi Dr. Tänzer in the Jewish Museum GP-Jebenhausen

Excerpt from "GEPPO - DER STADTBOTE" - Edition 07, Volume 5 – Wednesday, February 16, 2000

Treasures of the Göppingen Museums

A Portrait of the Rabbi Dr. Tänzer in the Jewish Museum GP-Jebenhausen

Rabbi Dr. Aron Tänzer - Stations of his Life

In the earlier part of 1989 the then mayor Hans Heller received a letter from Kansas City/USA, in which the writer of the letter Frank V. Szasz revealed his plans to include a visit of Göppingen within the itenerary of his European tour in May of 1989. Szasz shared, that he was the grandchild of the Göppingen Rabbi Dr. Aron Tänzer and that the last time he visited Göppingen was in 1933 at the age of seven years. He announced he was bringing a portrait of his grandfather to donate to the city museum. Frank V. Szasz did not know at this point, that the preparations for the installation of the Jewish Museum in the old church of Jebenhausen were underway. And likewise: in Göppingen it was not known that a grandchild of Rabbi Dr. Tänzer was a renowned artist, living and working in the United States.

As announced, Frank V. Szasz visited Göppingen and gave his gift of the portrait of his father to the city hall. In 1982 he painted his grandfather in oil on the basis of childhood memories. During his visit, Szasz was informed of the planned exhibition that was to be installed in the former church of Jebenhausen. Naturally, the artist was delighted by the news, that his work was to be integrated into the concept of the exhibition and would be shown in the museum. When the Jewish Museum opened in 1992, the promise was redeemed.

The portrait painted with oil on canvas has the measurements of 50X40 centimeters. It shows us the Göppingen Rabbi at sixty.

Frank V. Szasz, born 1926 in Budapest, emigrated in 1957 to the United States of America. There he developed into an acclaimed portrait artist who painted significant personalities of his time— heads of states, presidents, and the Pope. On March 10, 1995, Frank V. Szasz died at 69 years in Kansas City.

Archiv und Museen: Dr. Karl-Heinz Rueß.