How Cologne's Jewish community rebuilt after World War II
Stefan Dege
April 5, 2024
The oldest Jewish community in Germany took a step toward returning to normal life after the Holocaust 75 years ago. In 1949, a new synagogue was consecrated in Cologne.
Today, Cologne has one of the largest Jewish communities in GermanyImage: Geisler-Fotopress/picture-alliance
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Radiologist Michael Rado remembers well the no-frills prayer hall on the ground floor of Ottostrasse 85 in Cologne. There were fewer than 15 rows of seats for those praying, and a curtain separated the men's and women's areas. Rado had his bar mitzvah there as a 13-year-old, an important religious ritual for a Jewish boy, comparable to confirmation among Christians.
Today, Rado is 75 and co-chairman of Cologne's Jewish Synagogue Community, the oldest Jewish community in Germany.
After World War II, there was a revival of Jewish community life in Cologne. Seen here is a group of Jewish children posing with their rabbiImage: Privat
Seventy-five years ago, on April 6, 1949, the Jewish community in the city was reborn. The small house of worship on Ottostrasse was part of the former "Israelite Asylum," which was built around 1908 and originally included a hospital and a retirement home.
A difficult new start after 1945
The Gestapo and SS, criminal units of the Nazi regime, deported the old and sick from the site in 1942, and bombs struck the complex.
The small synagogue on Cologne's Ottostrasse was later replaced by a larger synagogue on RoonstrasseImage: Kölner Synagogengemeinde
"Most of us had one foot out the door, psychologically," said Rado, whose parents left Germany in time, fleeing to what is now Israel. "It was clear to everyone this wasn't a place to stay forever," he added. "I grew up with that certainty."
Rado said this attitude persisted for a long time among Jews in Cologne. In 1952, when he was 7 years old, he returned to Germany with his parents.
Rado still has yellowed black-and-white photos from his family album. They show children playing soccer and a friendly, smiling rabbi with schoolchildren — memories of Jewish community life as it began to flourish on Ottostrasse and continued elsewhere later on.
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Cologne's Jews have a turbulent history
That was because, as the congregation grew, its members decided to rebuild the synagogue on Roonstrasse, which the Nazis had burnt down. The house of worship was reopened on September 20, 1959, marking a new milestone in the 1,700-year history of the Cologne Jewish community, considered the oldest in Europe north of the Alps — and certainly the oldest in Germany.
Roman Emperor Constantine first mentioned a Jewish community in Cologne in an edict from the year 321, and Jews lived in Cologne until being expelled from the city in 1423. It wasn't until 1798, during the French occupation, that they were allowed to return.
The Cologne synagogue on Roonstrasse was rebuilt in a neo-Romanesque styleImage: DW/Weitz
Several synagogues were built in the subsequent years, including a large complex from 1861 on Glockengasse, near the famous perfumer 4711 — and finally, the Neo-Romanesque synagogue on Roonstrasse was built in 1899.
Until the start of the Nazi dictatorship in 1933, Cologne had the fifth-largest Jewish community in Germany, with some 18,000 members. But in 1938, all the city's synagogues and temples were plundered and set on fire.
Religious services among the ruins
In 1945, after the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany, Cologne's few surviving Jews initially congregated in the ruins on Roonstrasse, then in a prayer hall on Ottostrasse, and finally in the small synagogue.
Pope Benedict XVI visited the Jewish house of worship during World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A center with a hall, administrative wing, youth home, kindergarten and retirement home became part of the rebuilt synagogue on Roonstrasse. The project was supported by the chancellor at the time, Konrad Adenauer, a former mayor of Cologne removed from office by the Nazis. Financial support for the construction came from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Representatives from politics, the church and culture attended the opening in September 1959.
"Alongside the joy, there were certainly also the shadows of the past," the Domradio broadcaster quoted from the local bulletin at the time.
The rabbi at that time, Zvi Asaria, was quoted as saying: "The situation in Cologne at that time was by no means one that could be described as peaceful coexistence between Jewish and non-Jewish Cologne citizens. We are tolerated. That's all."
Michael Rado is co-chairman of the Jewish Synagogue Community CologneImage: Jüdische Synagogengemeinde Köln
The history of the Jewish community also includes a visit by Pope Benedict XVI during the 2005 Catholic World Youth Day in Cologne. Today, the city's Jewish community has around 5,000 members. "Some of them have the feeling again of needing to be ready to leave," said Rado, citing the growing threat of right-wing extremism and antisemitism.
However, half of the members are over 50 years old. There is little tendency among them to leave Germany for Israel. "I personally don't feel threatened," said Rado, "as long as this government protects the Jews sufficiently — and it does."
This article was originally written in German.
Synagogues in Germany
Before 1933, there were some 2,800 Jewish temples in Germany. Today there are just 130 synagogues and prayer rooms — a reflection of the tumultuous past of German Jewish life, but also evidence of its current resurgence.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Avers
Rykestrasse Synagogue in Berlin
The Jewish community in Berlin with more than 11,000 members is once again the biggest in Germany. Its main synagogue is on Rykestrasse, a red-brick building in a Neo-Romanesque style dating from 1903/04. With seating for over 2,000, it is the second-largest synagogue in Europe after the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest.
Image: Thomas Klatt
Erfurt Synagogue
It's thought to be one of the oldest synagogues still standing in Europe. It was by chance in the year 1100 that the Erfurt Synagogue survived a medieval pogrom as well as repeated phases of persecution. It was converted into a storage hall and later even used as a ballroom, so its true purpose remained hidden until the 1990s. It was eventually restored and re-opened in 2009 as a museum.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Jewish Cemetery 'Heiliger Sand' in Worms
The first settled Jewish communities were established along a north-south passage following the Rhine river between Speyer, Mainz and Worms. The oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in Europe can be found in the synagogue compound in Worms. The tombstones with over 2,000 still legible inscriptions, some dating back to the 11th century, are well worth seeing.
Image: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
Cologne Synagogue
Cologne was one of the largest Jewish communities in Germany during the Weimar Republic. In 1933 there were seven synagogues. On November 9, 1938, during the nationwide pogroms of Kristallnacht, all houses of prayer were destroyed. After the war, the synagogue on Roonstrasse was the only one to be rebuilt. Today it is once again a lively center of Jewish culture in Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/Arco Images/Joko
The 'document' at the Neupfarrplatz in Regensburg
The first Jewish community in Bavaria was based in Regensburg. In the Middle Ages it was one of the most important in Europe. The first synagogue, which was destroyed in 1519, is today commemorated by a work of art in white stone marking the outline of the synagogue. In 1995, during excavation work, the old remnants were found, leading to the creation of an underground information center.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The Baroque synagogue in Bayreuth
The synagogue in Bayreuth has a very different history. The building from 1715 served as an opera house and was only later converted by the Jewish community into a synagogue. Today it is the only surviving Baroque-style synagogue in Germany that is still used as a place of worship.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Ulm Synagogue
The Jewish community in Ulm has had a synagogue again since 2012. Former German President Gauck attended the inauguration, at which he spoke of "a day of joy for all people of good will". The building, which is oriented towards Jerusalem, is to be the central contact point for Jews in the east of Württemberg and in the Bavarian part of Swabia.
Image: dapd
The Great Synagogue of Augsburg
It is the only synagogue in Bavaria to have survived National Socialism almost unscathed. Opened in 1917, the Art Nouveau building is considered one of the most beautiful prayer houses in Europe. The eye-catcher is the 29-meter-high dome, which is decorated with oriental elements. The synagogue also houses the Jewish Cultural Museum, which documents the history of the Jews in Augsburg.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Puchner
The timber-framed synagogue in Celle
In this region of Germany, Jews were only granted permission to build synagogues in 1737. This simple, timber-framed building dates from this period. The opulent, Baroque-style interior, like so many synagogues in Germany, fell victim to the Nazi "Kristallnacht" pogrom in November 1938. Since 1974, the building has been used once again as a synagogue.
Image: CC0 1.0
The Westend Synagogue in Frankfurt
The early 20th century rang in an economic boom for Jews in Germany, which, in turn, inspired a more liberal movement within the Jewish community. This synagogue dates from this era and resembles Assyrian–Egyptian architecture. Neither Nazi pogroms nor the Second World War could fully destroy it. So, to this day, it stands as a testament to the glory days of German Jewish life.
Image: CC BY-SA 3.0
The Old Synagogue in Essen
The Old Synagogue in Essen was built between 1911 and 1913. It was one of the largest and most important Jewish centers in prewar Germany, but was severely damaged by the Nazis in 1938. After the war it served first as a museum for industrial design and later as a place of commemoration and documentation. After extensive reconstruction work, it is now home to the House of Jewish Culture museum.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The New Synagogue in Dresden
The Old Synagogue in Dresden, designed by Gottfried Semper and part of the city's famous skyline, was destroyed in 1938. More than half a century later, at the same location, this award-winning new building was opened in 2001. Inside the sanctuary is a cube containing a square worship space, curtained off on all sides, intended to evoke an echo on the scale of the Temple at Jerusalem.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Ohel Jakob Synagogue in Munich
Munich also set out to architecturally mark a new chapter in German Jewish history. The Ohel Jakob, or Jacob's Tent, synagogue was inaugurated in 2006. The building is part of the new Jewish Center consisting of the synagogue, the Jewish Museum of Munich and a community center funded by the city. With its 9,500 members, the Jewish community in Munich is one of the biggest in Germany.
