Leipzig - 4 Keilstrasse, Brodyer Synagogue

Summary: During the mid-1800s, nearly one-third of the merchants at the Leipzig fair were Jews from Poland, and a large percentage A Memorial to the Synagogues of Germany 407 Leiwen (Rhineland-Palatinate) of those Jews came from the city of Brody. These Orthodox Jews built a small synagogue in 1897 and enlarged it into a two-story building in 1933; the prayer hall was on the first floor, and the second floor housed a library and study rooms. On Pogrom Night, November 1938, the windows of the synagogue were smashed and its interior was destroyed. Out of concern for the safety of neighboring homes, the synagogue was not set on fire. In early 1939, the Nazis, wanting to convince the world of their tolerance, forced the Jewish community to refurbish the synagogue in time for the upcoming Leipzig fair. Shortly afterwards, they repossessed the building and used it as a soap factory. The building was returned to the Jewish community in 1945, after which it was once again used as a synagogue. In 1993, both the interior and exterior of the synagogue were restored.

Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: JSL
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