The Jewish regional community of Thuringia celebrates 70 years of the new synagogue. The state rabbi expresses a wish during the festival service – and the former president of the Central Council of Jews addresses warning words to the festival society.
Erfurt (dpa/th) – 70 years after the inauguration of the new synagogue in Erfurt, the Jewish state of Thuringia celebrated the anniversary on Wednesday. The simple new building in the state capital is the only Jewish house of worship that was once newly built in the GDR.
“Of course it would be nice if the synagogue were as well attended as it is today in the next 70 years,” said state rabbi Alexander Nachama in front of the around 80 participants in the festival service. He continues to work for that. But it also needs the support of the community. According to Nachama, an average of 20 to 25 people attend a regular service. The size of the congregation has been stable at almost 700 members for many years.
The synagogue was consecrated on August 31, 1952 on the spot where the magnificent Great Synagogue, which had been set on fire by the National Socialists, stood until the pogrom night. Today it forms the center of the nearly 700-strong Thuringian state community.
Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left), Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD), the President of the Thuringian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Stephan Kramer, Erfurt’s Lord Mayor Andreas Bausewein (SPD) and State President Birgit Pommer also attended the festivities. Ramelow said it was nice to see and experience Jewish life “in Erfurt, in Thuringia, in Germany – like on today’s feast day”.
Erfurt has a long Jewish tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages. The first synagogue was built around 1100. Before the start of the Second World War, well over 1,000 Jews lived in the city. 250 of them were able to emigrate during the Nazi era. Around 1000 were deported and murdered – only 15 returned to Erfurt after liberation.
Survivors from Silesia and Eastern Europe also came to Thuringia, and quite a few later emigrated to Israel – even after the synagogue was built. At the end of the GDR, the Jewish community in Erfurt had only 26 registered members.
The development of Jewish life in Thuringia after the Holocaust was characterized by complicated first years with tragic sections, said the chairman of the state community, Reinhard Schramm. The New Synagogue is one of the successes that shaped the reconstruction of the community. That is why we proudly celebrate the anniversary of the inauguration. It’s important to remember that the Great Synagogue unfortunately didn’t live to celebrate its 70th anniversary, Nachama said. “It’s important not to forget that.”
A three-dimensional tactile model of the New Synagogue is now available in the park opposite the church. Erfurt’s mayor said it should be a clear sign against anti-Semitism and right-wing extremism, for democracy, freedom of religion and human rights.
Charlotte Knobloch, former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and president of the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, said that the Jewish community is now “more at the center of public life than ever, but it is endangered”. Anti-Semitic thinking remains as dangerous as ever. The New Synagogue is a jewel. “Keep this gem here for the next 70 years – and beyond,” said Knobloch.
