New synagogue Mainz, Modern synagogue in Mainz, Germany.
The New Synagogue Mainz is a synagogue in the center of Mainz, Germany, recognizable by its green glazed ceramic facade. The building is made up of five connected volumes and houses a prayer hall alongside a festival room, kosher kitchen, kindergarten, and library.
The synagogue was built in 2010 on the site of the former main synagogue, which was destroyed during the pogrom of 1938. The new building marks the return of Jewish community life to this location after more than seven decades.
The building carries the Hebrew word 'Kedushah', meaning sanctification, as its core design idea: the five letters of this word each shape one part of the structure. Anyone walking around the outside can notice how the five volumes correspond to these letters.
Access is generally possible only during public events or by prior arrangement with the community office, as this is an active place of worship. The building sits in central Mainz and is easy to reach on foot from the main pedestrian area.
The roof of the prayer hall is shaped like a shofar, the horn blown during Jewish worship, and is oriented toward the east. This form can be read from both inside and outside the building, linking the structure directly to one of the oldest symbols in Jewish practice.
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