Today Cottbus has a Jewish community again. Its 350 members came to Germany in the 1990s as so-called "Quota Refugees" from the former Soviet Union. On 15 July 1998, the Jewish community was re-established in Cottbus and on 27 January 2015 – on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp – the new synagogue was inaugurated in the „Schlosskirche“. The rescued Chanukkah candlestick, which the city museum returned to the Jewish community, now has its place there.
Two days after the opening of the synagogue, Holocaust survivor Max Schindler paid a visit to his hometown. He signed the Golden Book of the City of Cottbus and also visited the new synagogue, where he was welcomed by the Jewish community.
Questions
- Which stop of the IWalk has left the strongest impression on you? Why?
- What do you think is the significance of Max Schindler’s visit for himself and for Cottbus?