Berlin - 7-8 Franzensbader Strasse (Wilmersdorf Borough of Berlin)

Summary: During the early days of the Grunewald Synagogue Association (based in the Wilmersdorf borough of Berlin; today known as the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf ), religious services were conducted in the home of one of the congregants. In 1923, the congregation purchased a defunct recreation and dance hall on Franzensbader Strasse and converted it into a 400-seat synagogue, which was inaugurated on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) of that year. The congregation followed strict Orthodox teachings; Dr. Emil Cohn, a well-known Orthodox scholar and author, was hired to serve as its spiritual leader. This private synagogue association was eventually taken over by the official Berlin Jewish Community (whose purpose was to oversee Jewish community and religious life in the whole city), which then became responsible for the spiritual needs of the Franzensbader Strasse congregation. Dr. Cohn stayed on as rabbi until 1936, when he immigrated to the Netherlands and, subsequently, to the United States. The Franzensbader Strasse synagogue was plundered and set on fire on Pogrom Night (November 1938). Later, in 1941, the ruins were torn down and carted away. The site now accommodates an apartment building, to which a memorial plaque has been affixed.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel Sources: SIB, WDJB www.luise-berlin.de
Located in: berlin