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Germany excels at restoring synagogues destroyed by the Nazis. But can they foster new Jewish life?

JL;DR SUMMARY Germany has invested significantly in restoring historic synagogues, such as Munich's Reichenbachstrasse Synagogue, as evidence of its commitment to Jewish life. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CommunityGermanyJewish LifeReligious PracticeSynagogue RestorationMunichHolocaust RemembranceCultural HeritageReichenbachstrasse Synagogue

Places mentioned

Munich, Bavaria, Germany
"A stained glass window in the newly restored Reichenbachstrasse Synagogue in Munich, Germany."
Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
"In Erfurt, Essen, Grlitz and Augsburg, architectural restoration has often stood in for restoring Jewish life."
Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany
"In Erfurt, Essen, Grlitz and Augsburg, architectural restoration has often stood in for restoring Jewish life."
Berlin, Germany
"Perhaps the strangest and most glaring example of this is Berlins Neue Synagoge, whose Moorish faade dazzles and gold dome glistens since 1995."
Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany
"In Erfurt, Essen, Grlitz and Augsburg, architectural restoration has often stood in for restoring Jewish life."
Görlitz, Brandenburg, Germany
"In Erfurt, Essen, Grlitz and Augsburg, architectural restoration has often stood in for restoring Jewish life."

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Retrieved 2025-10-18 05:30:45 UTC
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