The Old Synagogue () was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

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 was located at Heidereutergasse 4, in Marienviertel, in the present-day

Mitte Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding. It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreuz ...

district of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Designed and built by Michael Kemmeter, the synagogue was built as a rectangular hall building. Consecrated in 1714 and remodelled in 1855, the synagogue was known as the Great Synagogue until the opening of the New Synagogue, built in the 1860s to accommodate Berlin's expanding

Jewish population the world's core Jewish population (those identifying as Jews above all else) was estimated at 15.8 million, which is approximately 0.2% of the 8 billion worldwide population. Israel hosts the largest core Jewish population in the world with ...

. Nevertheless, services continued to be held in the Old Synagogue into the 20th century; it was restored in 1928. The synagogue survived ''

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

'' but was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The last service took place in the Old Synagogue on November 20, 1942. The site is marked with a plaque and part of the building's contours are marked with cobblestones.

References

{{Authority control 1642 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 18th-century synagogues in Germany Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Berlin Ashkenazi synagogues Buildings and structures demolished in 1942 Buildings and structures in Berlin destroyed during World War II Jewish organizations established in 1642 Synagogues completed in 1714 Synagogues in Berlin Former synagogues in Germany 1942 disestablishments in Germany

See also

References