Great German Synagogue


The Great German Synagogue is one of five synagogues in the Jewish Ghetto of Venice, Italy. Established in 1528, it is the oldest Venetian synagogue.
The synagogue was most recently restored between 2016 and 2017 by the World Monuments Fund. It is open to the public through the Jewish Museum of Venice.

History

The Great German Synagogue was built in 1528 by members of the local Ashkenazi community. A stone plaque on the west wall of the building records its construction at the expense of two donors. Like the other four synagogues in Venice, it was termed a scuola, rather than sinagoga, in the same way in which Ashkenazi Jews refer to the synagogue as the shul in Yiddish.

Architecture

Built on top of a preexisting structure, the prayer hall features an irregular shape. The bimah was originally placed in the middle of the room in accordance with the traditional "central bimah" configuration, and only later moved to the north end of the sanctuary.

Gallery

Cited literature