Bergische Synagogue: Difference between revisions

| name                 = Bergische Synagoge

| image                 = Bergische Synagoge.jpg

| caption              = Bergische Synagoge in 2007

| location             = Gemarker Straße<br>Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany

| architect             = Goedeking + Schmidt

| architecture_type     = Synagogue

| groundbreaking       = 9 November 1998

The '''Bergische Synagoge''' is a synagogue in the Barmen district of [[Wuppertal]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], Germany. It is the place of worship of the Jewish community of Wuppertal and was inaugurated on 8 December 2002, 64 years after the destruction of the former Barmen synagogue during the [[Kristallnacht|November pogroms of 1938]]. It is located near the [[Gemarker Church]] on Gemarker Straße.<ref name="Uni">{{cite web |date=2026 |title=Documentation on the construction of the New Bergisch Synagogue (1996–2002) |url=https://www.uni-wuppertal.de/en/third-mission/science-communication/transfer-stories/2026/translate-to-englisch-bergische-synagoge/ |website=Bergische University Wuppertal}}</ref>

The former Barmen synagogue, completed in 1897 to designs by [[Ludwig Levy]], was destroyed during the November pogroms of 1938. In 1945, after the [[Second World War]], about 145 Jewish survivors returned to Wuppertal and re-established a community. As the infrastructure of Jewish life had been destroyed, services were initially held in the former Jewish retirement home on Friedrich-Ebert-Straße. This arrangement remained in use for decades.<ref name="Uni">{{cite web |date=2026 |title=Documentation on the construction of the New Bergisch Synagogue (1996–2002) |url=https://www.uni-wuppertal.de/en/third-mission/science-communication/transfer-stories/2026/translate-to-englisch-bergische-synagoge/ |website=Bergische University Wuppertal}}</ref>

By the end of the 1980s, the community had declined to about 65 members. During the 1990s, its membership increased to about 2,000 as a result of the arrival of Jewish immigrants from the former [[Soviet Union]], creating a need for a larger synagogue.<ref name="Uni" /><ref name="Rundschau">{{cite news |date=27 January 2026 |title=Doku zum Bau der neuen Bergischen Synagoge Wuppertal |url=https://www.wuppertaler-rundschau.de/lokales/doku-zum-bau-der-neuen-bergischen-synagoge-wuppertal_aid-142929573 |work=Wuppertaler Rundschau}}</ref>

In 1996, former Wuppertal mayor [[Ursula Kraus]] initiated the establishment of the ''Freundeskreis Neue Synagoge e.V.'', an association supporting the construction of a new synagogue in Barmen. The search for a suitable site led to a plot next to the Gemarker Church that belonged to the Protestant community. The [[Evangelical Church in the Rhineland]] made the property available for the synagogue. The decision to use the site was made as the Jewish community was growing and there was no suitable vacant land elsewhere.<ref name="Uni" /><ref name="Rundschau" />

The first symbolic groundbreaking ceremony took place on 9 November 1998, the 60th anniversary of the November pogroms. The foundation stone was laid in October 2001, and the synagogue was inaugurated on 8 December 2002.<ref name="Uni" />

The synagogue was designed by the Wuppertal architects Goedeking + Schmidt. The building consists of two cubic wings surrounding a round prayer hall. The hall is oriented towards [[Jerusalem]], with the [[Torah ark]] and the [[Bema#Judaism|bimah]] forming the liturgical centre. Nine tall, narrow windows on the street-facing side represent the nine lights of a [[Hanukkiah]]. A glass structure above the prayer hall forms a [[Star of David]] in the roof structure.<ref name="Baukunst">{{cite web |title=Neue Synagoge Wuppertal |url=https://baukunst-nrw.de/objekte/1061-neue-synagoge-wuppertal |access-date=24 September 2026 |website=Baukunst NRW}}</ref>

The synagogue can accommodate approximately 300 people. Above the entrance is a [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] inscription from [[Isaiah 56:7]]: {{lang|he|ביתי בית תפלה יקרא לכל העמים}}, translated as "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples". The inscription also appeared above the entrance to the former Barmen synagogue.<ref name="Uni" /><ref name="Baukunst" />

The synagogue's location beside the Gemarker Church also has historical significance. The church is associated with the [[Barmen Declaration]], adopted there in 1934 by representatives of the [[Confessing Church]] in opposition to the influence of National Socialism on [[Protestantism in Germany|German Protestantism]]. The construction of the synagogue on land provided by the Protestant community has been examined in the context of Jewish-Christian relations in post-war Wuppertal.<ref name="Uni" /><ref name="Rundschau" />

 

The inauguration was attended by German President [[Johannes Rau]], Israeli President [[Moshe Katsav]] and [[Paul Spiegel]], chairman of the [[Central Council of Jews in Germany]]. It was the first time that an Israeli president had attended the inauguration of a synagogue in Germany.<ref name="Wuppertal2002">{{cite web |date=8 December 2002 |title=Zwei Torarollen für die Bergische Synagoge |url=https://www.wuppertal.de/presse/meldungen/is4news/rathaus_behoerden_presse_2002/synagoge-nachmittag.php |website=City of Wuppertal}}</ref>

On 29 July 2014, three men threw several incendiary devices at the synagogue. No one was injured and initial police investigations found no damage to the building. An 18-year-old suspect was arrested, while police searched for two other suspects.<ref name="AP20142">{{cite news |date=29 July 2014 |title=Synagogue in Germany attacked |url=https://www.ksl.com/article/news/world/synagogue-in-germany-attacked/30912014 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name="Reuters20142">{{cite news |date=29 July 2014 |title=Assailants attack synagogue in western Germany |url=https://www.jpost.com/jewish-world/jewish-features/assailants-attack-synagogue-in-western-germany-369284 |work=The Jerusalem Post |agency=Reuters}}</ref> The three men were later convicted of attempted aggravated arson. During the trial, the defendants said they had intended to draw attention to the [[Gaza–Israel conflict]].<ref name="taz20152">{{cite news |date=14 January 2015 |title=Anschlag auf Wuppertaler Synagoge: Der Alkohol soll Schuld sein |url=https://taz.de/Anschlag-auf-Wuppertaler-Synagoge/%215023774/ |work=die tageszeitung}}</ref>

On 17 September 2026, a second attempted arson attack took place. According to police, a 37-year-old man spread flammable liquid on the steps of a side entrance and set it alight. The fire was quickly extinguished and caused only minor damage, and injuries were reported. The suspect, an Afghan citizen, was arrested near the scene and later placed in pre-trial detention on suspicion of attempted aggravated arson. A search of his apartment found several knives and a [[machete]]. Prosecutors also said that he had made comments indicating an [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] motive.<ref name="Tagesschau20262">{{cite news |date=17 September 2026 |title=Anschlag auf Synagoge Wuppertal: Mann warf Beutel mit brennbarer Flüssigkeit gegen Gotteshaus |url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/nordrheinwestfalen/wdr-anschlag-auf-synagoge-wuppertal-mann-warf-beutel-mit-brennbarer-fluessigkeit-gegen-gotteshaus-100.html |work=Tagesschau}}</ref><ref name="DW20262">{{cite news |date=18 September 2026 |title=German police probe arson attack on Wuppertal synagogue |url=https://amp.dw.com/en/wuppertal-synagogue-attack/a-79331270 |work=Deutsche Welle}}</ref>

 

<gallery>

File:Barmen Bergische Synagoge 75.jpg|View of the synagogue

File:Wuppertal Gemarker Str 0003.jpg|Another view from Gemarker Straße

* {{Official website|https://www.bergische-synagoge.de/}}