Overview

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz grew emotional at the ceremony, saying he felt "deeply ashamed" about resurgent antisemitism and pledging a government "war" on old and new forms.
• He noted the continued need for police protection at Jewish institutions and voiced a goal that public Jewish life should no longer require such security.
• The Reichenbachstrasse synagogue, designed by Gustav Meyerstein, was built in 1931, damaged during Kristallnacht in 1938, reopened in 1947, and fell out of use after the Ohel Jakob synagogue opened in 2006.
• The restoration, launched in 2021 by the Synagoge Reichenbachstraße association led by Rachel Salamander with early initiative from Ron Yakubovich, revived original Bauhaus features and integrated handwoven textiles by Gunta Stölzl.
• The reopened site will host prayer services and public programs with the Jewish Museum; the first guided tour has sold out, and leaders including Markus Söder and Dieter Reiter pledged support for Jewish life.