The name Reinganum comes from the small Palatinate village of Rheingönnheim today part of the city of Ludwigshafen am Rhein. The family of this name (father Moses and his four sons) migrated to Mannheim in 1680, where they became the town's richest and most prominent Jewish family. As a result of the destruction by the French during the Palatinate War (1688 1697) more and more members of the Reinganum family migrated to Frankfurt from 1700. The family was wealthy, and established ties through marriage with important court factors and prominent Frankfurt Jewish families. One of the family's customary activities was lotteries. An important member of the family for the city of Frankfurt was Dr Maximilian Reinganum. Although born in the Judengasse in 1798, he was baptised in 1821 so that he could practise freely as a lawyer, and he represented the Rothschild Frankfurt bank. In particular, his baptism enabled him to become active politically, and as the leader of the Frankfurt Liberals he became one of the city's most important politicians in the first half of the 19th century. He consistently supported the cause of the Jews and assisted them in their drive for emancipation.