This act of rebuilding, on the ruins of Jewish life in the Bavarian capital, remains a powerful symbol of hope and new beginnings. On Tuesday evening, political leaders, community members, and representatives of Jewish institutions gathered in the Ohel Jakob Synagogue at Jakobsplatz to commemorate the 80th anniversary of that momentous event.
Rebuilding Faith After the Holocaust
In the summer of 1945, Munich lay in ruins, and Jewish life had been almost entirely annihilated. Only a few Jewish citizens had survived the systematic persecution and extermination by the National Socialists. In the midst of this devastation, survivors joined together to found a new community on July 15, 1945.
Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, reflected on the founding during the commemorative ceremony: “It must have taken superhuman strength to establish this community – amid the rubble of Jewish existence, in a time of utter hopelessness, immediately after the Shoah. This founding reflects extraordinary courage, and it moves me deeply,” he said.
Lost Synagogues and a New Religious Center
After its reestablishment, the community initially lacked a suitable space for prayer. The city’s main synagogue at Karlsplatz, once a hub of liberal Judaism, had been destroyed in 1938 by direct order of Adolf Hitler. The Orthodox synagogue had also been set ablaze during the November Pogrom. Only the Reichenbachstraße synagogue remained standing – not out of respect, but because the Nazis feared damaging neighboring residential buildings.
That synagogue was provisionally restored after the war and was rededicated in 1947. For the small number of Jews who had returned or survived, it provided a renewed spiritual home. Among them was Charlotte Knobloch, who had survived the Holocaust as a hidden child on a Franconian farm and later found solace in the Reichenbachstraße synagogue.
Two Milestones Celebrated: Community Anniversary and Knobloch’s Leadership
In 1985, Charlotte Knobloch assumed the presidency of the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde München und Oberbayern. Although she had not originally aspired to the role, she has played a key part in shaping Jewish life in the city over the past four decades. Her 40th anniversary as head of the community was also honored during the celebration at the Ohel Jakob Synagogue.
With the arrival of many Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Reichenbachstraße synagogue soon became too small. This led to the decision to build a new community center in central Munich. The Ohel Jakob Synagogue, inaugurated in 2006, now stands prominently in the city’s heart—a visible symbol of Jewish confidence and integration.
Visibility as a Statement of Belonging
The decision to locate the new synagogue in a prominent urban space was deliberate. Ellen Presser, head of the community’s cultural center, explained to Bayerischer Rundfunk the importance of that visibility: “To make a synagogue visible in public space sends a message to Jewish people that they belong again. It is about visibility and societal recognition.”
Rising Antisemitism Casts a Shadow
Despite the joy surrounding the community’s resilience and growth, the event was also marked by concern. Josef Schuster warned of a troubling rise in antisemitism in recent months: “The openness and radical nature with which antisemitism is being expressed again—particularly since October 7, 2023—is profoundly shocking. We are also internally grappling with how to respond.”
Bundestag Vice President Julia Klöckner of the CDU echoed these concerns in her speech, saying that something had become “unbalanced” in German society. She emphasized: “A tolerant society must not tolerate antisemitism—regardless of its origin. Whether from the right, from the left, or out of religious fanaticism, hatred of Jews must be firmly opposed in all its forms.” She also condemned the long-standing silence of many who have excused antisemitism under the guise of “criticism of Israel.”
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