Jewish Community Center Mainz

Manuel Herz Architects - Mainz, Germany - 2010

Key words: Community, Diaspora, Holocaust, Learning, Persecution, Tradition

SYNAGOGUE EXTERIOR - Photography: © Iwan Baan

The Jewish Community Centre and Synagogue in Mainz embodies both the resilience and the tragedy of Jewish history in the city. Mainz was once a major medieval centre of Jewish scholarship, producing figures such as Gershom ben Judah, the “Light of the Diaspora,” whose rulings shaped Judaism across Europe. Yet, this legacy of learning has long been shadowed by repeated cycles of persecution and eradication, making Mainz a paradigmatic symbol of both destruction and renewal.

The new building is therefore not only a functional response to the community’s needs but also a symbolic act of continuity. Following the Holocaust, the Jewish presence in Mainz was reestablished by a handful of families, expanding significantly in the 1980s through immigration from the former Soviet Union. The limited capacity of previous facilities underscored the necessity of a purpose-built synagogue and cultural centre.

Constructed on the historic site of the former Synagogue Hindenburgstrasse, the project restores a sense of rootedness to a community repeatedly displaced. It provides spaces for worship, education, and cultural life, aligning with Mainz’s long-standing tradition of Jewish learning. Critically, the project reconciles memory and future, serving as an architectural testament to survival, collective identity, and hope amid centuries of rupture.