Synagogue of Basel, Synagogue in Basel, Switzerland

The Synagogue of Basel, known as Beit Joseph since 2020, is a neo-Byzantine cross-domed building at Eulerstrasse 2, built by Hermann Rudolf Gauss. Its two golden dome tips stand out in the street scene. A second dome added by Paul Reber in 1892 gave the building a pronounced longitudinal axis, and the east wall's stencil painting and ceiling panel ornamentation were restored in 1986/87.

Basel's Israelitische Gemeinde discussed building a synagogue from 1864; the architect Hermann Rudolf Gauss of Heilbronn erected it between 1866 and 1869, and it was inaugurated in September 1868. The first building was a neo-Byzantine cross-domed structure with a small conch for the Torah ark to the east and women's galleries facing west. In 1892 Paul Reber added a second dome, giving the building a pronounced longitudinal axis; the 1986/87 restoration recovered his stencil painting on the east wall and the ceiling panel ornament.

The community renamed the building Beit Joseph at the end of 2020, after a close vote at the September 2020 general assembly; it honours the banker Joseph Safra, whose family gave 1.5 million francs, on condition the name is kept "for eternity". Members had long called it IGB-Syni.

The synagogue stands at Eulerstrasse 2 in the Am Ring district, near the Leimenstrasse corner, and is a listed cultural property of national significance (KGS no. 1625). It is an active Ashkenazi congregation building, so visits depend on services and community events; the Jewish Museum of Switzerland arranges guided tours. Confirm times before travelling, as access is not continuous.

In 2020 the community voted narrowly to rename the building Beit Joseph after the banker Joseph Safra, whose family donated 1.5 million francs; the agreement required the name to be kept "for eternity". Members had long called it IGB-Syni, short for Israelitische Gemeinde Basel-Synagoge.