Germany's biggest synagogue, on Rykestrasse in Berlin ,
has reopened after a lavish restoration.
The synagogue was set ablaze on Kristallnacht,or the Night of Broken Glass, in 1938.
Friday's inauguration saw rabbis bringing the Torah to the synagogue,
in a ceremony witnessed by political leaders and Holocaust survivors from around the world.
The synagogue, with a 1,200-person capacity, has been described
as one of the jewels of Germany's Jewish community.
Rabbi Chaim Roswaski, who presided at the ceremony, described the
reconstruction as 'a miracle.'
Restoration of the neo-classical building,
which is more than 100 years old,cost
more than 45m euros ($60m, 30m).
The re-opening comes at the start of
a Jewish culture Festival in the capital.
August 31, 2007
The reopening of the Rykestrasse Synagogue
Germany's biggest synagogue was reopened on Friday after being completely restored to its former glory. The renovation and reopening of Rykestrasse Synagogue in the heart of East Berlin is a symbol of the gradual regeneration of Jewish life... in the German capital 60 years after the defeat of the Nazi regime.
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The Rykestrasse Synagogue, located in Berlin's trendy Prenzlauer Berg district, was built in 1904 and its scale is not immediately apparent from the modest red-brick façade. Hidden away off a courtyard, its huge prayer hall seats up to 1,200 people. Although it was set on fire and vandalized during Kristallnacht - the anti-Semitic pogrom of Nov. 9, 1938 - the fact that it was in a heavily populated area saved it from being destroyed when the authorities rushed to douse the flames.
Did you ever think you would see this in your lifetime?
