Berlin - 14-15 Pestalozzistrasse (Charlottenburg Locality)

Summary: Jewish population growth in 1900 triggered a flurry of synagogue construction in Berlin. The private synagogue at 14-15 Pestalozzistrasse, built at the initiative of a Jewish businesswoman in 1911/12, opened in May 1912. In 1919, the official Jewish Community of Berlin, whose purpose was to oversee Jewish community and religious life in the whole city, acquired the synagogue. Rabbi Emil Nathan Levy led the congregation from 1919 until 1934. 78 The Siegmundshof synagogue of Berlin. Courtesy of: Ghetto Fighters House Photo Archive/ Wiener Library, 43369. The building, situated in a courtyard, was built in a Romanesque style and seated 1,400 congregants, with separate entrances for men and women. The synagogue’s attendance record was unrivaled, and it also maintained a weekday synagogue in its southern edifice. Although SA men set fire to the synagogue on Pogrom Night, the fire brigade extinguished the blaze before the building was totally consumed by the flames. The damaged interior was not repaired until 1947. The building was converted into a laundry in 1941 and sold in 1942. In the summer of 1945, services at the Pestalozzistrasse synagogue resumed and it became a center for the community’s Shoah survivors. Renovated and equipped with an organ, it reopened as a Liberal synagogue in September 1947. Another renovation was completed in 1986, and a memorial plaque has been unveiled at the site.

Author / Sources: Heidemarie Wawrzyn; Sources: FJG, SIB, WDJB; www.jg-berlin.org; www.berlin.de