You heard a few things about the big synagogue in Levetzowstrasse at the start of this walk. There were however another two synagogues and plans for construction of a fourth, more orthodox synagogue in this area. They are much less well known, and apart from memorial plaques, there is nothing visible left of them.
Hansaviertel was built in the 1870s as a posh suburb. Apart from a few villa-type buildings, these are multi-family homes, usually with rather large apartments. They often had more than five rooms and separate servants’ entrances, and they were beautifully equipped. The apartments extended from the front of the house far into the side wing. Even if there were apartments in the back buildings, these were still much more generous than those in working class districts like Neukölln or Wedding. Hansaviertel houses had bathrooms and central heating. Toilets were not installed in the stairwells but inside the apartments. Those who could afford to live here were from the upper middle classes, such as successful artists, scientists, and senior officials. Many Jewish families lived here, too. Almost all of them were part of the successful, emancipated Jewish class that had lived in Prussia for generations. Both main denominations, liberal and orthodox, were represented.
One of the members of the orthodox synagogue association of Moabit and Hansabezirk was the famous painter Hermann Struck, who lived in Brückenallee, which is where the English Garden is now. Even Albert Einstein supposedly attended synagogue here at times. The synagogue was located in the yard of the property on the corner of Flensburger Strasse and Lessingstrasse. It followed the typical architectural language of the late 19th century: Domed round arched windows and plenty of stucco. It only had a narrow facade facing the inner courtyard and was otherwise wedged between its neighbouring houses. The synagogue was inaugurated in 1909 and had around 250 spaces, partly in galleries. The mob destroyed the building during the 1938 Pogrom, and soon afterwards it was demolished. Today, only a memorial plaque remains.
The synagogue and classrooms of the Adass Jisroeal Community were in Siegmunds Hof. The building was not originally intended for religious purposes. The Academy of the Arts had constructed studios there at the end of the 19th century. One of the artists who worked there was Käthe Kollwitz. In 1924, the community bought the building and set up a provisional synagogue. It was supposed to be replaced with a new building on another property, but due to the Shoa, this never happened.
The provisional synagogue had 320 spaces. There was strict separation between men and women, since it was an orthodox community. Other rooms were converted for teaching purposes. The November Pogroms did not affect this synagogue, but teaching was forbidden after 1941. The building was destroyed by bombs during the war. A plaque and a sculpture today remind us of the school and synagogue.
The diversity of Jewish community life is also evident from its very small synagogues. The Beth Hamidrasch community, for example, gathered primarily in living rooms in what was then Lessingstrasse. The community later used the provisional Adass Jisroel synagogue in Siegmunds Hof. The house previously used for services was destroyed during the war. There is no memorial to this rather small community. At the end of the 1920s, another orthodox synagogue was planned for the area. Its foundation stone was laid in Agricolastrasse in 1930, but the global economic crisis prevented its construction.
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