New main synagogue opening ceremony

Munichs new Hauptsynagoge will be officially opened on Thursday 9th November. If anyone hasn't seen this building yet, this is a great chance to do so, and of course have a look inside.

November the 9th is the anniversary of the Kristallnacht during which Munichs Orthodox Synagogue was destroyed. The original Hauptsynagoge, on Herzog-Max-Straße, had already been destroyed on June the 9th under orders from Hitler.
The new synagogue is located in Jakobs Platz right beside the Städt Museum. Directly beside the synagogue is the Jewish History Museum and Community Centre which will not officially open untill March 2007. But on Nov. 12th 2006 both buildings will be open to the public for one day only!
For further information have a look at the brochure.

I noticed this morning that the whole area around the Stadtmuseum has been cordoned off, police are everywhere (not the standard uniform) and Oberanger is closed.

Anyone know what's happening?

Topics merged by admin

The opening of a new synagogue on the same square - St Jakobsplatz - and the fear of a right-wing extremists terrorist attack.

it is the induction of the synagoge today, just next to the Stadtmuseum I think.

New Synagogue opening...

Yep - the new Synagogue opening, plus there are roadworks on Blumenstrasse that cause the 52 bus to take a longer route after 9pm. I am looking forward to checking out the new Synagogue and musuem, but I hope this security issue doesn't become permanent state of affairs, being in the middle of city and all.

A Friend of mine is the HouseMaster of the new synagoge. She said (Yes she) that it is the most secure building in Europe.

Ah, interesting, thanks.

@Dame Edna - no that's something else; 6th - 9th Nov the 52 and 152 are being re-routed after 8 or 9pm (can't remember) due to roadworks. Nowt to do with the synagogue or the police presence.

The Hauptsynagoge will be officially opened today by having the Sefer Torah (the physical handwritten scrolls of the Law of Moses - rather like a Bible is to Christians I guess) are placed in the holiest spot called the Aron Kodesh ("Holy Ark" or "the Ark", as in the Ark of the Covenant, so yes just like in Indiana Jones), which in Munich is a curtained-off cabinet built along the wall that most closely faces Jerusalem. Only then does the building become a synagogue (at least that's how I understand it).

About 1000 people are expected to attend and security is extremely high, not just because this is the largest Jewish building project in Europe but also due to the date (see post above). Indeed, the grounding stone ceremony was the subject of an attempted bombing.

A neo-Nazi demonstration planned for today has been banned by the City Council.

Munich has the second largest Jewish population in Germany following Berlin with approximately 8000 people. That the new synagogue is so central sets a open signal that Jews and their faith are welcome here and are included, an important thing considering the Shoah ("Holocaust").

The original site of the main synagogue is now the rear section of the extended Karstadt Oberpollinger store at Karlsplatz/Stacchus. If you use the store's rear entrance, you will see a large stone memorial to the previous synagogue, destroyed upon orders from Goebbels himself in 1938.

München.de's English-language pages regarding Jewish life in Munich.
Jewish readers or people who know more about Judaism than I do, please feel free to explain/correct any of the above, thanks.

There's gonna be a load of cops around there like forever as there is at the Synagogue in the Reichenbachstrasse innit.

Even an anorak like me gets confused with those local bus routes.

Yeah? Is there one of those permanent police booths too like on Reichenbachstr? Not been to the new synagogue yet.

Back in the 1970s some nutters who confused the struggle for Palestinian liberation with antisemitism burned down the building where the older synagogue is and as it housed an old folks home several people died.
That's why the front of the building is relatively new compared to the rest of the street.

Cops have been there with machine guns ever since.

It would be VERY bad publicity if anything happenend so the police will stay I guess.

Bear in mind there has already (allegedly) been a foiled plot a couple of years ago to blow up the new place during the opening ceremony with the aim of killing Stoiber and the Federal President.

Access will be difficult as Oberanger is closed, and the police have barriered most pavements surrounding it off. Maybe they'll open up a main route later.

Is the stone memorial new, by any chance, or has it been there for years?

It was there for years (created in 1969) but has been moved recently. Still the original memorial stone but shifted slightly due to the extension.
Go through the handbag section to the back of the store, as you go out of that rear entrance it is on the left.
That the store is there at all has an interesting story in German only.
The site of the original main synagogue was never to be built upon but to be left as a green plot in memorial.
But the sale of the plot has financed the new Jewish centre and synagogue - and that's how Karstadt got the plot and why there's a big new one opening today.

No coincidence by the way - today is the 60th anniversary of the "Reichskristallnacht" also known as "The Night of Broken Glass" ( http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/kristall.htm ).

And guess what happened in 1918, the Kaiser abdicated, and the Weimar Republic was born

And in 1923, the Beer Hall Putsch. (Bellyflop in history)

And in 1989, the Fall of The Berlin Wall.

...put on your helmets, assume the crash position, and charge your camera batteries.

Ah okay. Cheers.

Correction: 68th anniversary.

i just cannot help wondering what was the architect thinking when he draw the plans for the building :-(
location and design are great but not together.
to me the building looks like an alien in between one of the oldest building of munich. maybe there are tours or something where someone explains the various meaning behind the architecture...

I have always idly wondered what that little booth is doing there when doodling down Reichenbachstrasse.

Mazel tov to Munich's Jewish community on your new spiritual home!

It's ugly. They should have rebuilt this:

http://images.google.de/images?q=Albert%20...ial&sa=N&tab=wi

i don't think the building is ugly, just the wrong location for that piece of architecture. really needs some landscaping around the building as it looks so drab as it is.

I think the place is just plain ugly, but its following what seems to be modern Jewish architectural trends of making just square block buildings. Its a shame really because the older styles of architecture are very good.

I heard the opening ceremony on Bayern 2. There were some good speeches. Christien Ude (Mayor) said he had had a lot of complaints about the design, but that many people just don't like anything new. He said to wait till the community centre is finnish and the area is landscaped, by next year sometime, before passing final judgement.

From the pictures I've seen, can't say I like it either so far - not exactly welcoming! But then I'm not into 'modern' (i.e. block buildings) either, especially in that location. But, I'm intending to go to the Open Day later today, Sunday (if I get up in time!), to get a closer look. Guess the security will be massive though, so don't know if taking pics will be allowed. Anyone else going?

I absolutely LOVE the look of the building - I think it's beautiful. Not cutesy Bavarian to look like it was built back whenever it is downtown Munich was supposed to have stopped in time. It's modern, but the texture of the fascia makes it look like a mountain in a way -- a mountain that can't be moved. At least that's how I interpret it.

I went by there on my bike in late September, and at a certain time of day, when the sun is setting, you can see the shadow of a cross from a nearby church on the side of the synagogue. I wonder if that was intended, or an "oops". It's fascinating to see, though.

I think it is beautiful too and particularly in that setting where it is cheek by jowel with the Altstadt. It would not have been so good set in landscaping in some suburb.

is today's open day for the synagogue itself or just the Gemeindezentrum ?

well, I have only ever been in Modern synogogues, so I find the building in line with the other places I have been. I do find it very light and airy. (I have only seen from the news and newspapers) I do plan to go check it out with some of my Jewish coworkers soon.

I think security had a big influence on the design.

With this large stone block design, attacks against the synagogue will be deterred, since it's not that easy to destroy or somehow wreck what is essentially a big pile of stones. Because of this I like the design! If there were windows/glass at ground level then there would be possibly more problems. All the police really have to worry about now is graffiti.

We're headed down there soon...gotta check it out...not really into anything modern, but hey...I've only seen the inside of one Synagogue in my life, so it sounds interesting to me.

I read somewhere that the wall part of the Synagogue is suppoesed to be modeled on the "Wailing Wall", and that the entire structure is some sort of a tent design.

was there yesterday and am glad to have been and seen it.

Yes the walls are built to represent the wailing wall.
To quote Frau Knobloch (holocaust survivor) they "made it smaller as there are not so many Jews in Munich as there used to be"

The roof is built as an eye catcher so that the first thing you do when you walk in is look up to god, and is a repetative/continual (cant find the best way to describe it sorry) Star of David.

It has a very warm feeling to it when you are inside and the seats are well comfy, but they would need to be when prayer sessions can last for 2/3 hours.

Suprised at the low uniformed police presence yesterday but I suppose (and hope) that there were many plain clothed coppers there instead.

Dont think they quiet expected the turn out they got yesterday though especially with weather. The queue for the synagogue was over 1 hour long!

The design reminds me a little of the Herz Jesu church in Neuhausen. Like the Herz Jesu uses the motive of the nails, the synagogue uses the Star of David. Very effective when done well.

Since there is so much confusion on the design:

The stone part of the synagogue represents the destroyed temple in Jerusalem ("Wailing Wall" is a part of the former temple) and the glass top is supposed to represent a tent (therefore also the name of the synagogue: "Ohel Jacob" = "Jacob's tent"). The glass top and the fact that you can see the sky from the inside is a symbol for the continuity of the knot that god tied with the Jews.

I like the design and especially at night when the glass top is illuminated, it's a absolute beauty! I seen the plans on how the square, in front of the synagogue and the community center, will look like when the constructions finally finish in March 2007 and it's gonna look really sweet. Gotta say it's long overdue, that the Jakobsplatz (which really was a blemish to the cityscape up to now with it's oversized doggy-bog, which some people called a playground...) finally is a part of the city.

Due to the massive public interest and request, the community center and the synagogue will be open to everyone interested on the 10th of December again.