Vienna IKG cemetery — Porgès family plots  

This page provides analytical commentary on the Vienna Israelitische Kultusgemeinde (IKG) cemetery register of 100 named Porgès burials from 1840 to 1956. The full searchable table is on the companion page PorgesVienneZentralfriedhof.html. Here we identify the 17 multi-occupant family graves, the Holocaust-era burials, and the absent Christian-convert sub-population.

100 burials 17 family plots 62 ZF Tor I 25 ZF Tor IV 12 Währinger 6 Holocaust-era

I — The 17 multi-occupant family graves

Each shared grave reveals family relationships that the obituary corpus alone cannot establish. The plots are organised below by section (Tor I, Tor IV) and within each by group/row/grave coordinates.

Plots in Zentralfriedhof Tor I (Israelite section)

1. Edmund's family ring — Ella + Melanie Malvine ZF I — Group 8, Row 14, Grave 49
  • Melanie Malvine Porges (b. ca. 1832, † 1888, age 56)
  • Ella Porges (b. ca. 1882, † 13/09/1898, age 16) — sister of Edmund Porges †1917
Reading : Melanie Malvine predeceased Ella by 10 years. Ella, an unmarried 15-year-old, was buried in the same grave — almost certainly a paternal aunt-niece relationship. Melanie Malvine is most plausibly an unmarried sister of Edmund's predeceased Porges father, making her a previously-undocumented member of the Edmund Porges 1872-1917 natal family. See updated EdmundPorges1872-1917.html.
2. The Markus-Klara-Matilde plot — three generations ZF I — Group 8, Row 55, Grave 64a
  • Markus Porges († 29/12/1907, age 73) — matches Wien Markus Porges 1907 obituary
  • Klara Porges († 20/12/1914, age 70) — probable wife of Markus
  • Matilde Porges (b. 1869, † 31/01/1941, age 72) — probable daughter or daughter-in-law — last documented natural death pre-deportation phase
Reading : A husband-wife couple (Markus + Klara) with the daughter Matilde joining the plot 27 years after her father's death. Matilde escaped the worst of the Vienna deportations by dying naturally just before they began.
3. The Salomon-Katharina-Alexander plot — three generations spanning the Anschluss ZF I — Group 20, Row 12, Grave 40
  • Salomon Porges († 19/04/1898, age 67) — the patriarch
  • Katharina Porges († 04/04/1911, age 76) — probable wife of Salomon
  • Alexander Porges (b. 1868, † 18/01/1940, age 72) — probable son. Anschluss-era natural death
Reading : A clear three-generation family plot spanning 42 years. Alexander's January 1940 death came 22 months after the Anschluss but before the deportations to Theresienstadt and Poland began in earnest in October 1941.
4. The Ludwig-Hermine-Betti plot ZF I — Group 19, Row 6, Grave 38
  • Betti Porges († 14/01/1892, age 48) — probable mother of Ludwig (or first wife)
  • Hermine Porges († 02/12/1920, age 48) — probable wife of Ludwig
  • Ludwig Porges (b. 1867, † 17/11/1939, age 72) — latest standard ZF I burial in this register
Reading : Ludwig born 1867 ; Hermine died 1920 at 48 (b. ca. 1872, so married Ludwig ca. 1890s). Betti died 1892 at 48 (b. ca. 1844, so could be Ludwig's mother — she would have been ca. 23 at his birth). The plot then is mother + wife + son. Ludwig's November 1939 burial — 20 months after the Anschluss — is among the latest documented Vienna IKG Porges burials.
5. The David-Betti plot — widow survives 13 years ZF I — Group 19, Row 53, Grave 87
  • David Porges († 24/12/1894, age 54)
  • Betti Porges († 02/01/1907, age 72) — survived David by 13 years
Reading : A husband-wife couple. The age difference (54 + 72) and the shared plot make Betti much older than David at the time of marriage, OR David died relatively young (54) and Betti outlived him as widow into old age.
6. The Sigmund-Bertha plot ZF I — Group 6, Row 15a, Grave 14
  • Sigmund Porges († 07/11/1882, age 63)
  • Bertha Porges († 08/07/1910, age 61) — probable widow of Sigmund
Reading : Husband-wife pair. Bertha outlived Sigmund by 28 years. Note : this Sigmund Porges (†1882, b. ca. 1819) is distinct from the Sigmund Porges †1918 documented on the existing site.
7. The Karl-Eugen plot — child + grandfather ZF I — Group 5b, Row 15, Grave 22
  • Eugen Porges († 16/02/1885, age 13) — matches Wien Eugen Porges obituary
  • Karl Porges († 25/05/1920, age 84, b. ca. 1836) — probable grandfather of Eugen, joined plot 35 years later
Reading : 13-year-old Eugen died first ; Karl (49 at Eugen's death) joined the plot 35 years later at age 84 — making Karl most likely Eugen's grandfather (a paternal grandfather of suitable age) rather than father.
8. The Bertha-Josef plot — teenage daughter, then father ZF I — Group 5b, Row 16, Grave 33
  • Bertha Porges († 03/12/1884, age 17) — probable daughter of Josef
  • Josef Porges († 14/01/1895, age 59) — joined daughter's plot 11 years later
Reading : A teenage daughter pre-deceased her father by 11 years. Josef, dying at 59, was buried with his unmarried young daughter. A typical late-imperial Vienna Jewish bourgeois father-daughter plot.
9. The Leopold-Rosalie plot — widower survives 8 years ZF I — Group 5b, Row 1, Grave 27a
  • Rosalie Porges († 05/02/1917, age 64)
  • Leopold Porges († 08/03/1925, age 74) — survived Rosalie by 8 years
Reading : Husband-wife pair. Rosalie died first ; Leopold joined her 8 years later. Born ca. 1851-53.
10. The Ignaz-Rosa plot — widow survives 12 years ZF I — Group 50, Row 31, Grave 98
  • Ignaz Porges († 15/03/1907, age 65)
  • Rosa Porges († 08/10/1919, age 75) — probable widow
Reading : Husband-wife. Rosa was 10 years older than Ignaz at marriage, outlived him by 12 years.
11. The Julius-Rosalie plot — widower survives 8 years ZF I — Group 50, Row 45, Grave 11a
  • Rosalie Porges († 08/11/1914, age 69)
  • Julius Porges († 24/12/1922, age 80) — survived Rosalie by 8 years. Distinct from Julius Porges of Marienbad †1928.
Reading : Husband-wife pair. Julius (b. ca. 1842) outlived Rosalie (b. ca. 1845) by 8 years.
12. The Markus-Agnes plot ZF I — Group 50, Row 12, Grave 2
  • Agnes Porges († 01/08/1899, age 64)
  • Markus Porges († 13/08/1902, age 72) — survived Agnes by 3 years
Reading : Husband-wife pair, both dying within 3 years of each other. Distinct from the other Markus Porges †1907 (Plot 2 above).
13. The Alois-Rosa plot ZF I — Group 50, Row 53, Grave 14a
  • Alois Porges († 01/11/1915, age 53)
  • Rosa Porges († 09/01/1927, age 63) — widow
Reading : Husband-wife. Alois died young (53) in wartime ; Rosa survived as widow for 12 years.
14. The Emil Eduard-Betti plot ZF I — Group 52, Row 43, Grave 38
  • Emil Eduard Porges († 09/10/1912, age 68)
  • Betti Porges († 09/10/1924, age 81) — widow
Reading : Husband-wife. Striking coincidence : both died on 9 October, exactly 12 years apart. A possible memorial-day burial choice.

Plots in Zentralfriedhof Tor IV (Israelite section)

15. The Kommerzialrat Josef Porges plot — Vienna-Genoa-Shanghai-Holocaust ZF IV — Group 3, Row 28, Grave 47
  • Kommerzialrat Josef Porges (b. 1860, † 22/01/1926, age 66) — Wien Josef Porges 2 (1926) obituary [page]
  • Dr. Albert Porges (b. 1898, † 24/01/1932, age 34) — Director, American Express Co., Shanghai. Body transferred from Shanghai with 11-week delay — Wien Albert Porges 1932 obituary
  • Pauline Porges née Weißberger (b. 1876, † 28/06/1944, age 68 — buried 29/07/1956 only) — Holocaust-era death, post-war re-burial
Reading : The most historically dramatic plot in the register. Three generations span Imperial Vienna industry → Shanghai expatriate finance → the Holocaust → post-war Vienna re-burial. Pauline's 12-year burial delay (death June 1944, formal re-interment July 1956) almost certainly reflects death at Theresienstadt or another camp, with the body re-located to the family plot only after the war once the Vienna Jewish community had reconstituted its cemetery administration. The 1926 Josef Porges obituary announced cremation at the Vienna Krematorium — either the urn was deposited in the family plot (in which case the cemetery register lists the burial regardless of cremation status) or the obituary's cremation announcement was inaccurate.
16. The Adolf-Pauline plot — husband joins predeceased wife ZF IV — Group 10a, Row 13, Grave 27
  • Pauline Porges (b. 1864, † 23/01/1926, age 62)
  • Adolf Porges (b. 1870, † 07/05/1931, age 61) — survived Pauline by 5 years
Reading : Husband-wife. Pauline was 6 years older than Adolf. Adolf joined her plot 5 years later. Distinct from Pauline †1944 (Plot 15 above).
17. The Ferdinand-Paula plot ZF IV — Group 12, Row 8, Grave 79
  • Ferdinand Porges (b. 1873, † 29/08/1926, age 53)
  • Paula Porges (b. 1869, † 01/10/1935, age 66) — widow, survived Ferdinand by 9 years
Reading : Husband-wife. Paula was 4 years older than Ferdinand. She survived him by 9 years and joined the plot.

II — Holocaust-era Porges deaths (1939-1944)

The IKG-Wien register contains 6 documented Porges deaths in the late-Nazi period, providing a documentary record of those who died in Vienna during the worst years of persecution. None are explicitly identified as deportation victims in the cemetery register itself ; the inferences below are drawn from death dates and burial-delay patterns.

Person Death Burial Delay Inference
Michael Porges (b. 1874) 01/05/1939, age 65 04/05/1939 3 days Pre-WWII natural death, normal burial timing
Ludwig Porges (b. 1867) 17/11/1939, age 72 20/11/1939 3 days Early-WWII natural death ; latest standard ZF I burial
Alexander Porges (b. 1868) 18/01/1940, age 72 22/01/1940 4 days Anschluss-era natural death ; pre-deportation
Matilde Porges (b. 1869) 31/01/1941, age 72 04/02/1941 4 days Last documented natural death pre-deportation. The October 1941 mass deportations began 8 months later.
Eva Porges (b. 29/07/1853) not listed 26/11/1941, age 88 n/a Late ZF IV burial, exceptionally aged. November 1941 was the start of the Theresienstadt deportations — her natural death just escaped the worst.
Pauline Porges née Weißberger (b. 1876) 28/06/1944, age 68 29/07/1956 (!) 12 years Almost certainly a Holocaust victim — died most likely at Theresienstadt (deported there as the widow of Kommerzialrat Josef Porges). Body or remains re-buried in family plot after the war when the Vienna IKG cemetery administration was reconstituted.

III — The absent Christian-convert sub-population

The IKG-Wien register documents only those Porgès who maintained Jewish religious affiliation through their burial. Bohemian Porges descendants who had converted to Christianity were buried at Vienna's municipal cemeteries (Christian-section Zentralfriedhof, Döblinger Friedhof, or Oberdöblinger Ortsfriedhof) and are systematically absent from this register. Their absence is itself documentary evidence of the Vienna Christian-convert sub-population.

Cross-referencing with the obituary corpus and the JewishGen Vienna Converts from Judaism 1915-1945 database reveals at least the following Christian-convert Vienna Porgès buried at non-IKG cemeteries :

Person Death / burial Burial location Note
Anna Porges 26/06/1894 Ortsfriedhof Oberdöbling Christian formula im Herrn entschlafen ; daughters Glogau and Soyka
Adolf Porges 27/03/1897 Vienna (cemetery uncertain) Wien Adolf Porges 1897 — Israelite section uncertain
Charlotte Friedmann née Porges 30/12/1890 Döblinger Friedhof, israel. Abtheilung Continued Jewish identification at burial; Praterstraße family
Franziska Porges 20/05/1891 Döblinger Friedhof (no Israelite-section designation) Mother of Sigmund Porges †1918 ; family of Dr. Salomon Porges, Spittal
Sigmund Porges 05/12/1918 Döblinger Friedhof (no Israelite-section designation) Beeideter Börsensensal i.R. ; existing SalomonPorges18421918.html
Emma Wodianer née Porges 22/01/1918 Zentralfriedhof, section unspecified (probably Catholic) Beethovenplatz 2 ; daughters v. Gutmann + Pringsheim
Dr. Robert C. Porges 18/05/1928 Döblinger Friedhof Catholic convert per existing site ; son of Leopold Porges of Kolín
Dolly Bunzl née Porges 05/05/1932 Döblinger Friedhof Bunzl industrial dynasty ; three doctorate-holding daughters
17 Vienna Porges/Pories converts 1917-1940 various Christian cemeteries JewishGen Vienna Converts from Judaism database, accessed May 2026

The combined picture — 100 Jewish Vienna Porgès burials in this register + at least 25 Christian-convert Porgès buried at municipal cemeteries — gives a total documented Vienna Porges population of approximately 125 individuals across the entire late-Habsburg and inter-war period.

IV — The Währinger Friedhof first generation (1840-1872)

The Währinger Friedhof was Vienna's principal Jewish cemetery before the Zentralfriedhof Israelite section opened in 1879. The 12 Währinger Porgès burials in this register represent the earliest documented Vienna-resident Porgès :

Person Born Died Age
Nina Porges—17/06/1840—
Joseph Porges—01/09/1848—
Siegfried Porges—20/07/1848—
Anna Porges22/04/179019/12/185363
Eva Porges—28/06/1853—
Eduard Porges31/10/183425/01/185520
Lazar Porges24/07/180529/08/185550
Leopold Porges—08/06/1858—
Julie Porges—24/09/1862—
Ephraim Porges—24/08/1866—
Friedrich Porges09/05/184006/03/187231
Emma Porges11/12/184617/02/187225

Anna Porges (b. 22/04/1790) is the earliest-born documented Vienna Porgès in the entire register — born in the late reign of Joseph II, dying at age 63 in 1853.

Friedrich + Emma Porges 1872 — both buried in Währinger Group 19 within 17 days of each other (Emma 17 February, Friedrich 6 March). Friedrich was 31, Emma 25. They were either husband and wife who died in a shared illness, or brother and sister who both contracted a deadly epidemic disease. Vienna in late 1871 - early 1872 had documented epidemics of cholera and typhus. Their plots are adjacent (graves 216 and 219, three plots apart).

V — Summary statistics

Cemetery Burials Period Notes
Zentralfriedhof Tor I (Israelite) 62 1879-1941 The principal Vienna Israelite section ; opened 1879 after Währinger closed
Zentralfriedhof Tor IV (Israelite) 25 1918-1956 Newer section opened during WWI ; receives the late-imperial and Holocaust-era Porges burials
Währinger Friedhof 12 1840-1872 Older Israelite cemetery, closed to new burials 1879. First-generation Vienna Porges
Baden bei Wien 1 1900 Outlier — Josef Porges, Baden Jewish cemetery
TOTAL IKG burials 100 1840-1956 116 years of documented Vienna IKG Porges activity

For the full searchable / sortable register, see PorgesVienneZentralfriedhof.html.

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