The 9th of November is a day full of history for Germans…
On the 9th of November 1918, the Weimar Republic was proclaimed after the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II following the end of the First World War.
The 9th of November 1989 saw the fall of the Berlin wall.
And the 9th of November 1938 was, of course, the night of the November Pogroms (formerly known as the Kristallnacht).
I was in Potsdam today, and given the significance of the date, I decided to check out the “Neue Synagogue” in Potsdam, which opened this year to serve as the new modern centrepiece of Potsdam’s Jewish communities.
The previous “Alte Synagogue,” which was vandalised during the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938, actually stood a few streets away from where the new synagogue has been built. The old synagogue, whilst heavily damaged during that night, was not set alight as it was situated right next to the postal service building. Nevertheless, whilst it survived the next few years, it was eventually destroyed during the RAF bombing raid on Potsdam on the 14th of April 1945, which completely wiped out the city centre.
Fast forward to the modern day, and it has taken more than 20 years of planning and discussions to actually see a new synagogue be built. But I’m glad to say it’s finally here, and it will now be home to 4 different Jewish congregations.
The new synagogue will also soon be open to the public on certain occasions.
On a date like today’s, it’s good to see the horrors of the past being replaced with some hope for the future.
(This is a repost from Instagram from November 9th, 2024)