Die Schöneberger Synagoge

The synagogue designed by architect Max Fraenkel was dedicated in 1910 and provided seating for 836 people. The adjoining front building had a weekday chapel, classrooms, a library, a crèche, and offices for the rabbis.

From 1911 until his emigration to Palestine in 1935, Dr Arthur Levy was the congregation’s rabbi. He was followed by renowned Mendelssohn scholar Professor Alexander Altmann, who fled into exile in 1938. On 9 November 1938, known as Kristallnacht when so many synagogues across Germany were destroyed, this synagogue was not set on fire probably because of the adjacent houses. But it was still desecrated by looting and the interior was destroyed. A bomb attack severely damaged the front building and also damaged the main worship space. In 1956, the demolition of the synagogue was ordered. The property has since become the schoolyard of the Löcknitz primary school. A memorial wall stands as a reminder of its past.