This past week marked the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night marking the destruction of thousands of German Synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses. On the evening of November 9, 1938, the upper echelons of the Nazi leadership participated in a festive gathering in the Munich Town Hall, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch. At about 10:30 PM, a group of the revelers left the hall, and headed toward the Ohel Jakob Synagogue in Munich, setting it on fire. The synagogue was completely incinerated, including Torah scrolls and sacred objects. Joseph Goebbels records in his diary that he tried to alert the fire department that the synagogue was on fire (likely because of the risk the conflagration posed to non-Jewish property), but was unsuccessful. It seems that the order to destroy the synagogue (and so many others) originated either directly or implicitly from Hitler himself. The Jewish community had to pay for the cost of clearing the rubble of the synagogue afterward.
The Ohel Jakob synagogue was the hub of the more traditional, Orthodox community in Munich, which broke away from the Grossgemeinde (the umbrella community) when they began to adopt more liberal practices associated with the nascent Reform movement. The synagogue was completed in 1892; despite its majestic appearance, it was relatively small- the sanctuary seated 150 people. There was a school attached to the synagogue, and the community was led by the revered Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Dr. Chanoch Ehrentreu, for over 40 years, until his passing in 1927.
68 years after Kristallnacht, in November of 2003, the cornerstone was placed for a new Synagogue in Munich with the same name/ Funded by the City of Munich, the State of Bavaria and funds from the Jewish community, the magnificent structure was the result of an architectural competition won by Rena Wandel-Hoefer and Wolfgang Lorch. It seats 550 people, and is accessed, for security reasons, by an underground tunnel. The complex of the synagogue includes a kosher restaurant as well. Congratulations to Steven Bock for being the first to identify it as last week’s Mystery Shul Of The Week.
Rabbi’s Recommendations
On June 2, 2009, a remarkable event took place at this synagogue. Two Rabbis- Zsolt Balla and Avraham Radbil- became the first Orthodox Rabbis ordained in Germany since before World War II. They studied at Yeshiva Beis Zion- the Berlin Rabbinical Seminary. Rabbi Balla is now the state Rabbi of Saxony, and in 2021, he became the first Rabbinic Chaplain of the Bundeswehr, the German Military, in over a century.
I have gotten to know Rabbi Balla over the years, and I am pleased to tell you that he will be our Scholar in Residence on the weekend of February 24-25, 2023. He is a talented Torah scholar (with a lovely voice, too) who has many fascinating stories to tell and great insight into the state of Jewish life in Germany today. I hope you will be able to join us!
Mystery Shul Of The Week
When the shul where this stained glass window is located was built, a critic decried it as the sign of “a society that cannot tell the difference between beauty and extravagance.” Identify the shul.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
Congregation Shaare Tefilla 6131 Churchill Way Dallas, TX 75230
