Berlin - 87 Prinzenallee (Wedding Locality)

Summary: Although the Ahavas Achim synagogue association of the area of Wedding in Berlin was established in 1899, it was not until 1910 that a synagogue was actually built there. The synagogue, built in the backyard of the premises (on Prinzenallee) of a construction company owned by one of A Memorial to the Synagogues of Germany the congregants, accommodated 250 worshipers. Rabbi Dr. Siegfried Alexander, the synagogue’s rabbi until 1938, not only ran a Jewish elementary school, but also taught adult education classes. The synagogue was vandalized and destroyed on Pogrom Night (November 1938), but was not set on fire because of its proximity to other buildings. The ransacked house of worship served as a warehouse and depot for German army uniforms during the war, after which the building was restored by Jehovah’s Witnesses and converted into a Kingdom of Heaven assembly hall. In 1984, the district council of Wedding held a memorial ceremony dedicated to the former Jewish community, and in memory of Rabbi Alexander, who was murdered in Auschwitz. A memorial plaque was placed at the entranceway of 87 Prinzenallee.
Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel; Sources: SIB, WDJB
Located in: berlin