Synagogue Kippenheim, Synagogue and museum in Kippenheim, Germany

Synagogue Kippenheim is a religious building and memorial site with a central prayer hall and exhibition spaces. The interior displays information about the Jewish history of the region through various exhibits and preserved architectural features.

The Jewish community built the synagogue in 1850/51 to plans by Freiburg architect Georg Jakob Schneider, and it was inaugurated on 23–24 January 1852. During the November Pogroms of 9–10 November 1938 members of the Lahr HJ leadership school devastated the interior; worshippers present were abused and taken to Dachau. From 1956 the Raiffeisen cooperative used it as a workshop and warehouse, and the towers and gable were removed. Kippenheim bought the building in 1983 and restored the exterior; the interior renovation followed in 2002/03.

The building now serves as a memorial, learning and meeting place; a memorial plaque for Kippenheim's Holocaust victims was installed in the vestibule in 1998. In 2014 and 2015, Yom Kippur services were held here again for the first time, organised by the Jewish community of Gescher Freiburg with cantor Dr Annette M. Boeckler.

Guided tours are available for groups and school classes to explore the interior and historical sites throughout the town. It is helpful to check opening times and tour requirements before planning a visit.

The 1938 arson attempt was extinguished because neighbours feared for their shed, and a later plan to blow up the building was dropped to avoid damaging adjoining houses. The synagogue survived the pogrom intact in its structure, though its interior was devastated.