The incident that resulted in the shooting death of Opa Karl's 14-year-old nephew, Albert Pfifferling.

Articles in "Allgemeine Zeitung of Judaism" of 31 January 1919:. "Halle aS, January 24 (1919) A victim of the revolution was the 14-year-old Albert Obertertianer Pfifferling, son of Mr. Adolf and Therese Pfifferling here itself, on Sunday. January 12, a rally for the government of Ebert and Scheidemann in the local Riebeckplatze took place

The incident that resulted in the shooting death of 14-year-old Albert Pfifferling at rally for the Social Democratic Party government of Ebert and Scheidemann in the Reibeckplatz was part of the Sparticist uprising of January 1919. The Spartacus League was co-founded by Rosa  Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. Friedrich Ebert's majority Social Democratic government crushed the revolt and the Spartakusbund by sending in the Freikorps (government-sponsored paramilitary groups consisting mostly of World War I veterans). Freikorps troops captured and murdered Luxemburg and Liebknecht. Luxemburg's body was thrown in the Landwehr Canal in Berlin

Death notice for Albert Pfifferling:

This is the translation from German to English of the newspaper article about the shooting death of Opa Karl's 14 year old nephew, Albert (1905/1919). Albert was shot and killed at the Reibeckplatz which was nearby to the Pfifferling home. this is also documented in my mother's story. 

DEATH OF student ALBERT  PFIFFERLING
Sabine Schwab of Bern, Switzerland while doing research about her ancestors in Halle (family of cattle dealer Julius Schwab) found this article from the Halle messages of 16 January 1919, which was provided from the city archives. The Schwabs were friends with the family of Adolph Pfiferling (cattle dealer) who had two sons, who were probably of the city high school students. The newspaper article stated:

"An innocent victim of the unrest in Halle, the 14 year old high school student Albert Pfifferling from the  Franckestraße which took place on Sunday afternoon in the shoot,ing death was the Riebeckplatz, yesterday afternoon buried in the Jewish cemetery. The ceremony, which was opened by a conventional way with a solo singing of the cantor of the congregation, was attended by several members of the local Jewish community and a representative of the teachers and students of the city high school. In his poignant eulogy, which remained free of any charge, recorded Rabbi Dr. Kahlenberg a going to the heart the picture innocent young man whom a treacherous fate had snatched away from a flourishing life. The cemetery was during the celebration under military protection. "

This is the speech given by Rabbi Kahlberg at the funeral of Albert Pfifferling. Heidi Mcafee, niece of Albert, has shared this with me.

This is the front page of th speech. Below I have tried my best to translate the speech to English. The other 3 pages follow the translation.

                            Speech at the Bier of the Student

                                 Albert Pfifferling

                                on 15 January 1919

                            Contents of Rabbi Dr. Kahlenberg

    Dear Mourners Meeting!

                          My Values Suffer!

 Four years of World War raged.  Almost every day he called, victims every day are people fell into the grave, young, thriving passed on, early in their lives. People have shed blood for their brothers, for all people are brothers.  Alone is alleviated and perhaps excused entirely, because for the sake of certain ideals of this struggle has been conducted. It was about honor homeland and one's own life, it was necessary to protect the next of kin, even when much deception, error and delusion prevailed, also some of what was for us holy, have proven to be ideal have slipped. But now the killing continues. The different political views are managed with bloody weapons. Brother fighting, against each other brother not only as a man, no, as a son and a mother of a child of 1000 wounds bleeding country. Is it true that the war has so brutalized us that the value of human life in the human eye has sunk so low? Where such sacrilege leads as beaten deep our country is how completely we defeated are, which can be shown clearer than through this coffin in which a child can not sleep, no, the eyes closed to the eternal sleep of death, in which thriving hope rich lives destroyed rests an innocent boy, binge murdered by treacherous unbelievable coincidence? Are not we all human, why not convulsing our hearts together when we see and feel how his parents is torn, aufzuckend in wildest woe?

 Let no one accuse, for no human intention prevailed, and God is the judge. He, not man looketh into the heart and here is the Site of peace, wojeglicher dispute must fall silent. But we want to seibst shake up from the deep, evil sleep of indifference and of every belief we want sharp so that this innocent boy was the last victim, on the altar of our poor, gequalten fatherland that in all of us really down again reach the fear of God, so that at the same time before the divine likeness, man.

 No, we do not impeach, Soust we had even draw near and ask him to account before God. We Lessen but in these days of the holy Torah, the 10 Federal words that have been have been under thunder and lightning Israel for all humanity. At last the two Panel but is at the top: "Honor your father and your mother so that your days are increasing.". Does this mean the days increase, if a flower uprooted then dropped is hardly that they focus root when the dawn is also bright, so jah obscured when the light went out and not be on fire? Or ht the deceased father and mother not honored, he was not the bright freuudiche morning sun, the clear spring shine their lives? You nast thy covenant broken, O God liked, so reproachfully raise our soul the prosecution, but so that we might speak to the Almighty, so we God are approaching, other words, resignedly  from creditor heart on the lips of Psalm Sanger invaded spoke of "Ehrfurchtbar is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel, he gives perceive power and strength, nothing but the immersion in this sunshine of his life. Well, the pain is now too great for the souls such resignedly thoughts recall to what he was to them what they lost with him. But this also all relatives hung so much to him, because they are hanged on his soul, because they had joy in him at this physically and so mentally already developed character, and what is more serious is, moral and morally formed on its in the same way if they could make it through education and further erzichen, so the comrades, classmates and joy, in love and loyalty associated with it, all of which sichs why not go without to prove him today their last respects.self-absorption shows dazzling splendor of his youth in his existence, this Baden what indestructible he remains for everyone who has beglucht his life. It felt parents the loss deeply, this reproduce vermogen than words. He was such a good, rich gifted child who has never caused a turbid hour them. He enjoyed the contrary, his duty, especially through the recovery of his musical abilities, this talent for art was the source of many, mutual pleasure between him and his parents. The sick grandmother paid the hours until he visited her again, he sang and joking,and succeeded almost banish her illness through his Whose. The other grandmother so much and intimately enjoyed his loving attention. He asked in genuine best way secretly for him doing good arms. In childlike awe the rights aptly because it the appear to him as inappropriate, publicly to do good, or even to its but famous! If these are and remain the wistfully preserve memories of their parents, so Sindes simultaneously character part, which should at this hour and about it hiatus speak for the whole of life to the young brother, he moge be a role model in all and stay him, and therein lies while the mute reminder to devote itself with double fervor his parents and show them love continually. He is also my front soul I think in these moments to the hard one religious maturity as vortug the Prophet Schmitt the house of God, so well only because he recognized had it with tiefernstem understanding: "Juhein I want in God" and "The grace God mention I want to "were the words in which I immediately before the New Year celebrations, the daily contemplation, once more the duties of his life against the parents, Judaism and all humanity, summarizing.It required for its moral maturity of these words hardly. He was also a child already a purposeful, serious, conscientious personality. He was of modest reluctance, just as a Jew he avoided penetrate itself. On the other hand, he hated every cowardice and proved rather, when it was a boldness and courage. Even before deadly ball he had no fear. He declined to equal a comrade to run away to to get to safety. Those who wanted to scold him therefore consider that he still been a child after all.

 What is what there can lend solace? Our prayer says God. He gives strength to entragen these pain-causing disclosure of his awe inspiring Waltens. He took the boy to him, before the existence serious stooped him before the Verschungen of life hero came to him. So his life was a beautiful when it been even fleeting and short. The dream is dreamed, so the flower like dreaming when the morning sun opened their blood chalices. What for needs and desires could make this young soul even to life, here below it has not become fulfillment, death tore off all bleed. But the dream continued respects, follows up most blessed awakening in the realm of bliss. so drawing a clear in this High! How do you light and sun have here below disseminated, so take up the radiant glory of God. Go up in peace!