Home · Synagogue   Holidays   Cemetery   History   Service   Links   Calendar   Deutsch   The Synagogue In 1993, the synagogue in the newly constructed building at Sillgasse 15 was dedicated, thus returning the Jewish Community to its former venue. From 1910 to 1938, it had been housed in an annex in the courtyard of the same address. As it was also home to Wilhelm Dannhauser, the first president of the Innsbruck Jewish Community, this address is significant for the history of its foundation – a history that began around 1880, when large numbers of Jewish merchants began moving to Innsbruck. When the Nazis came to power, the Jewish Community was broken up in more than one sense of the word: the organization was disbanded, and during the night of the Pogroms, the inventory of the synagogue was smashed to pieces. The New Synagogue The building in the Straße der Sudetendeutschen 15 (“Street of the Sudeten Germans”– this was the name of the Sillgasse between 1933 and 1945) sustained heavy damage during a bombing in 1943, and was torn down in 1965. The vacant lot was used for parking. In 1981, thanks to the initiative of then-Israeli ambassador to Austria, Ben-Yaakov, a memorial stone in remembrance of the synagogue was unveiled there. The discreetly placed stone, whose plaque faced away from the street, soon became overgrown and was barely visible. It was finally removed when the current building was constructed. Today’s Jewish Community is housed in this new building, designed by architect Michael Prachensky. Both the entryway with its Hebrew inscription “Build me this house and I shall live in it” and the Mezuzah – a small capsule containing a piece of parchment with a Bible text on it that is attached to the doorpost – speak of the new self-confidence of the Jewish Community, which had up until then had very little presence in public. The prayer room is panelled in natural marble and dominated by a elevated pulpit (Almemar). The vaulted ceiling shows the night sky looking towards Jerusalem as it was on the day of the synagogue’s dedication (March 21, 1993). The Torah shrine can be found on the eastern wall. The Torah scrolls originated in turn-of-the-century Prague, as did its garments (torah mantle, crown, shield, pointer). The Torah curtain, donated by women from Innsbruck in 1899, is flanked by religious artefacts, which are set off by the marble backdrop. The silver Chanukah candelabra is a gift from former bishop Reinhold Stecher, who contributed greatly to the good relationship of the Catholic church, and thus of the public, with the Jewish Community. Dr. Wilma Rimalt, the widow of our last rabbi, donated a new Torah curtain, which can be seen in the anteroom.