The Great German Synagogue () is a former Orthodox

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congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, that is located in the Jewish Ghetto of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

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. Completed in 1528, it is the oldest Venetian synagogue, and one of five synagogues that were established in the ghetto. Ceased operating as a synagogue in 1917, the former synagogue building was restored between 2016 and 2017 by the

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. No longer used for regular worship, it is open to the public as a

Jewish museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area. Notable Jewish museums include: Albania * Solomon Museum, Berat Australia * Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourn ...

through the Jewish Museum of Venice.

History

The Great German Synagogue is one of the three synagogues located in the ''Ghetto Nuovo'' (the oldest part of the Venetian Ghetto, established on 29 March 1516), together with the '' Scuola Canton'' and '' Scuola Italiana''. It was built in 1528The synagogues
''Jewish Museum of Venice''. Retrieved July 14, 2016. by members of the local

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

community. A stone plaque on the west wall of the building records its construction at the expense of two donors. Like the other four synagogues in Venice, it was termed a ''scuola'' ("School"), rather than ''sinagoga'' ("Synagogue"), in the same way in which Ashkenazi Jews refer to the synagogue as the ''shul'' () in

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

. The Great German Synagogue was the first public synagogue erected in the ''Ghetto Nuovo''. Together with the nearby ''Scuola Canton'', completed in 1532, it stands as a testament to the influence of the Ashkenazi community in the early years of the Ghetto, before the arrival of the much more affluent Jewish merchants from Spain and the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

in the 1550s.Laskin, David (March 9, 2016)
500 Years of Jewish Life in Venice
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Retrieved May 05, 2022. Along with the other synagogues of Venice, it ceased to be regularly used in October 1917, when the local Jewish community was forced to disband; at the same time, administration of all the Jewish places of worship was taken over by a single institution, the ''Templi Israelitici Uniti''.

Architecture

Built on top of a preexisting structure, the prayer hall features an irregular shape. The bimah was originally placed in the middle of the room in accordance with the traditional "central bimah" configuration, and only later moved to the north end of the sanctuary.

Gallery

Great German Synagogue, ark.jpg, The ark Great German Synagogue, bimah.jpg, The bimah Great German Synagogue, women's gallery.jpg, The women's gallery Great German Synagogue, liagò.jpg, The ark projecting over the rear canal

Notes

References

Cited literature

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External links

1520s establishments in the Republic of Venice 16th-century synagogues in Italy Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Italy Ashkenazi synagogues Former synagogues in Italy German diaspora in Europe German-Jewish diaspora Jewish museums in Italy Jews and Judaism in Venice Museums in Venice Orthodox synagogues in Italy Synagogues completed in 1528 Synagogues in Venice Synagogues preserved as museums {{italy-synagogue-stub