In the presence of Christian and Jewish clergymen, political leaders and representatives of several German Jewish communities, the cornerstone for the reconstruction of the famous, old “Rashi” Synagogue was laid here today with impressive ceremonies.
The original “Rashi” Synagogue, built early in the 12th Century, was believed to have been the oldest Jewish house of worship in Europe. It was named for Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, known as “Rashi,” famous Jewish expounder of the Bible and the Talmud, who studied here in his youth. The synagogue was destroyed by the Nazis during the infamous “Grystal Night” of 1938.
The synagogue will be rebuilt in the style of the original 12th Century structure which had been designed by the same architects who designed Worms Cathedral.
Among the speakers at the ceremonies today was Rev. Hermann Maas, noted German anti-Nazi and friend of the Jews, who was the first German invited officially to visit Israel after that State was established in 1948. He said that the newly-rebuilt “Rashi” Synagogue is being reconstructed at public expense as a symbol of German expiation of the “wrongs committed against the people of God.” Worms, which had a pre-war Jewish population of 1,100, has only two Jewish families as permanent residents now.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
