New Synagogue, Düsseldorf

The New Synagogue in Düsseldorf stands in the Golzheim district, a modern Orthodox Jewish house of worship named after Rabbi Leo Baeck. It replaced an earlier building destroyed in 1938 during Kristallnacht, when SA men set fire to the first synagogue with about 1,000 seats. The current structure was designed by Hermann Zvi Guttmann and opened in September 1958. In 2000 the synagogue suffered an arson attack, when two Molotov cocktails were thrown inside. The crime shocked the city and led to round-the-clock police protection ever since. The building carries deep historical weight for the Jewish community in Germany. Rabbi Leo Baeck, a leading figure of German Jewry, served in Düsseldorf before the Second World War. The 1905 synagogue had been one of the largest in the region until its destruction. After the 2000 attack, Paul Spiegel, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, urged public support for the victims. The two men responsible were later arrested and confessed their motive was protest against Israeli policy. Inside, the Leo Baeck Saal provides space for worship and communal gatherings. The exterior combines traditional synagogue architecture with mid-20th-century lines. A police presence remains visible at all times to deter further attacks. The neighbourhood around Zietenstraße is quiet and residential, giving the synagogue a discreet but secure setting. Visitors notice the contrast between the building’s calm outward appearance and its turbulent past.