The New Synagogue in Görlitz

The New Görlitz Synagogue is a miracle of survival. The 600-seat Jewish house of prayer was opened in 1911. Its magnificent blend of neoclassical architecture and Art Nouveau interior was set on fire during Kristallnacht, but the structure wasn’t destroyed. Its owners, the members of the Görlitz Jewish community, were dispersed, arrested, annihilated - but despite all crises, the synagogue survived the next 80 years. With its later owners - the Nazis, the Soviets, the Jewish Community of Dresden, then the City of Görlitz. With no Jewish community left in Görlitz, the synagogue often faced scandalous ideas about what should be done with the building.