Fraenkelufer Synagogue, Today | Kreuzberg
In September 1945, shortly after the end of World War II, over 400 Holocaust survivors and 30 American soldiers gathered for a Rosh HaShanah service in the side wing of the Fraenkelufer Synagogue, the last remnant of the original building, which had been largely destroyed during the Allied bombing of Nazi Germany. This service, a significant moment of resilience, was captured by photographer Robert Capa. Some of the photographs are on display in the synagogue’s Kiddush room, serving as silent witnesses to an event that transcended the synagogue’s walls.
In 1958-59, the ruins of the main synagogue were cleared, and the side wing was officially restored, leading to the gradual growth of a small congregation. As the new millennium unfolded, the synagogue faced a challenge and struggled to attract new members. But roughly a decade ago, a subtle resurgence began – a convergence of young Jews, including secular Israelis, began to create new connections with the synagogue. Dekel Peretz and his wife, Nina Peretz, were among the prominent actors who led to this transformation. What began with organizing small events for young adults – and eventually expanded to include young families – soon evolved into a rich and diverse program, blending cultural preservation with the contemporary needs of Kreuzberg’s growing Jewish communities.
In 2016, as the synagogue approached its centenary, Dekel Peretz and Nina Peretz – now the institution’s first female Gabbai’t (beadle) – advanced a series of projects to expand the synagogue’s role as a major Jewish community center in Berlin. The Freunde der Synagoge Fraenkelufer e. V. was founded in 2015, followed in 2018 by the Jüdisches Zentrum Synagoge Fraenkelufer e.V., which is dedicated to establishing a Jewish community, cultural, and educational center. The new hub, to be built by the end of the decade on the site of the original synagogue’s main building, will include artists’ studios, a gallery space, a kindergarten, a café, a learning center, a co-working space, and a daycare center. The first steps to establish the center have already begun – in 2019, ERUV Hub was founded – a partnership of more than 15 Jewish social organizations, including Jewish Moving Pictures e.V, with whom the synagogue later organized open-air cinema screenings and discussions in the synagogue garden. In 2021, LABA Berlin was born out of the ERUV Hub as a residency program that promotes creative dialogue between Jewish artists and classical Jewish texts.
The shock and horror of the extreme violence perpetrated by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023 has shaken Jewish life around the world, including the Fraenkelufer Congregation. On October 13, just days after the massacre, when Hamas called for a “Global Day of Jihad”, they organized a small assembly of Israelis and members of the Kreuzberg general community to meet with German President Frank Walter Steinmeier. His presence was a sign of solidarity, a call for all Germans to stand united. The participants were able to deliver vital messages to the president, bringing the faces of the hostages kidnapped from Israel to Gaza in the spotlight. The event was broadcast throughout the German media, reaching nearly every household. Later that evening, the synagogue had also organized a solemn memorial service in its courtyard. In response to security concerns and the unequivocal calls of both the Chancellor and the President, hundreds of Germans gathered that Friday evening. They stood for hours in quiet solidarity, forming a human shield to protect Berlin’s vital Jewish life, a powerful testament to unity in the face of adversity.
The synagogue has not canceled any event in the past year. In fact, the number of events has increased, reflecting the synagogue’s role as a space for prayer, socializing, intercultural and interreligious encounters, and conversation. One year after the massacre, on October 6, 2024, the synagogue had organized a memorial event in which 101 candles were lit for the hostages still held captive in Gaza, followed by a memorial ceremony. At a time when risingantisemitism and Islamophobia in Germany are deepening social mistrust and tensions between Jews and Muslims living in the city, the work of the synagogue, a meeting place for all faiths, sends a hopeful message about the rich, diverse, heterogeneous Jewish life in Berlin, a life based on alliances, solidarity, openness and tolerance.
