Erlangen will soon have a new synagogue: a home for the community!

Erlangen will soon have a new synagogue: a home for the community!

The Jewish Community of Erlangen is on an exciting path to building its own synagogue. In recent years, the community has rented various premises, including Hauptstrasse, Hindenburgstrasse and Ratsberger Strasse. The community currently only owns the Jewish cemetery and the Taharahaus. But that could soon change as they plan to create a new home. The Free State of Bavaria has decided to give the municipality a piece of land on Bismarckstrasse free of charge. As the Jewish General reports, the Council of Ministers in Munich has even waived the ground rent, which represents an enormous relief for the community.

Ester Limburg-Klaus, the chairwoman of the community, is enthusiastic about this decision and sees it as a big step in the right direction. However, the construction of the synagogue, which is estimated to cost around five million euros, represents a financial feat. The community has set a deadline of four years before construction can begin and has launched a fundraising campaign to collect the necessary funds. Applications to the Bavarian “Synagogue Pot” are also planned in order to receive financial support.

A place of meeting

The property on Bismarckstrasse is spacious enough and offers space for a synagogue and a community center. Limburg-Klaus emphasizes that the new synagogue should not only be a religious space, but also a place of exchange and culture. The community, which has around 120 members, has its roots in the former Soviet Union and offers church services, religious education and cultural events. The need for the community to have their own home is strongly emphasized by Limburg-Klaus, as the current rented premises cannot optimally support this.

The new synagogue will also be given a special name: it will be named after Jacob Herz, a valued benefactor in Erlangen. The Jewish religious community has an eventful history; It was re-founded in 1997 after the Shoah and has been fighting to give its community a permanent place ever since.

While planning is progressing in Erlangen, there are also other issues that concern the region. People are looking forward to the developments that are taking place not only in the cultural sector, but also in digital services. So Yahoo! JAPAN has suspended its services in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom since April 6, 2022 due to the inability to provide continuous delivery, affecting many users. But those are other stories that will perhaps fill the next issue.

Overall, with its plan to build its own synagogue, the Erlangen Jewish Community shows that it is looking forward and is ready to take new paths. We can look forward to seeing what further steps will follow in the coming years.