Rykestrasse Synagogue
| Synagoge Rykestraße Rykestrasse Synagogue |
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Entrance from the courtyard of Rykestraße No. 53
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Prenzlauer Berg, a locality in the Pankow borough of Berlin. |
| Geographic coordinates | 52°32′07″N 13°25′07″E / 52.535381°N 13.418598°ECoordinates: 52°32′07″N 13°25′07″E / 52.535381°N 13.418598°E |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Rite | Conservative (Ashkenazi) |
| District | Jüdische Gemeinde zu Berlin |
| State | Germany |
| Country | Germany |
| Year consecrated | 1904 1939 1945 |
| Status | active synagogue |
| Heritage designation | 21 September 1976 |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) |
Johann Hoeniger (1902/04) Ruth Golan (1995–2007) |
| Architectural style | Neo-Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | 1903 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | southeast |
| Capacity | 1074 |
| Length | 45.78 metres (150.2 ft) |
| Width | 26.68 metres (87.5 ft) |
| Height (max) | 17.3 metres (57 ft) |
| Materials | brick |
Rykestrasse Synagogue, Germany's largest synagogue, is located in the Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood in the Pankow borough of Berlin. Johann Hoeniger built the synagogue in 1903/1904. It was inaugurated on 4 September 1904, in time for the holidays of and around Rosh haShana. The synagogue stands off the street alignment and is reached by a thoroughfare in the pertaining front building.
Berlin's Jewish Community (German: Jüdische Gemeinde zu Berlin), comprising the bulk of Jewish faithful of mainstream (also called liberal, in today's English terminology 'conservative'), Orthodox and Reform affiliation, grew strongly in membership in the second half of the 19th century. With the expansion of Berlin into new neighbourhoods the need of additional synagogues within a walking distance became urgent. However, the Jewish community could not fulfill all the claims for additional premises, so many private synagogues (Vereinssynagogen, literally synagogues of registered associations) emerged scattered over the city. Most Jews in Prenzlauer Berg, however, could not afford to establish a Vereinssynagoge with their own funds. So in 1902 Jüdische Gemeinde zu Berlin bought the site in Rykestraße and its building master Johann Hoeniger (1850–1913) was commissioned to design and supervise the building of this new synagogue.
Construction started in 1903 and at noon on Sunday, 4 September 1904, the synagogue was inaugurated with Handel's prelude in D major and the Ma Tovu prayer led by cantor David Stabinski (1857–1919), Rabbi Josef Eschelbacher (1848–1916, illuminating the ner tamid) and Rabbi Adolf Rosenzweig (1850–1918) preaching. Almost the complete board (Vorstand) of Jüdische Gemeinde zu Berlin and many members of the elected assembly of representatives (Repräsentantenversammlung) attended the ceremony, while the city of Berlin sent its school councillor Carl Michaelis and Paul Langerhans, president of the city parliament.
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