Muslim Pol And Jewish Leader Want To Rebuild Synagogue In Berlin
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Ari Feldman April 2, 2018
A Palestinian-German politician and the chairman of Berlin’s Jewish community are hatching a plan to rebuild a grand synagogue destroyed by Nazis and their supporters in 1938, the Washington Post reported.
The Fraenkelufer synagogue was largely destroyed during Kristallnacht, in 1938. Raed Saleh and Gideon Jaffe hope to raise enough money for a new synagogue — one that can be a community center for the whole neighborhood of Kreuzberg, which is now home to many immigrants from the Middle East.
“I wouldn’t be a good Muslim if I didn’t champion Jewish life in my home city, Berlin,” Saleh said. “And a Christian wouldn’t be a good Christian, either, if he didn’t intervene when a woman’s hijab is being torn from her head.”
Joffe said that the new synagogue is also meant to combat a sense of rising anti-Semitism in Berlin and Germany in general.
“Our members are afraid to show their Jewishness,” Joffe said. “They don’t wear the kippah,” or yarmulke. “They don’t wear the Star of David. They hide it. That’s why we think it’s really important to revive a building like this one.”
Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
