The first synagogue, built in 1905,[3] with approximately 1,000 seats, was pillaged and burned by SA men during the Kristallnacht in 1938.[4]
Designed by Hermann Zvi Guttmann, the current synagogue was inaugurated in September 1958[4] and is named in honour of RabbiLeo Baeck, who served as a pulpit rabbi in Düsseldorf.[5]
Arson attack
On October 2, 2000, two Arab immigrants committed an arson attack against the synagogue, and the building was firebombed with three Molotov cocktails.[6] Although the perpetrators remained unknown for over two months, most media suspected the attack was done by far-right antisemites.[6][7] The following day, Paul Spiegel, leader of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, called for a clear sign of solidarity with the Jewish victims.[7]
The perpetrators, a 20-year-old Palestinian, and a 19-year-old Moroccan, were identified and arrested on December 6, 2000.[6] Both admitted they wanted to protest against the Israeli occupation policy through the attack.[6]
Since 2000, there is a constant[clarification needed] police watch over the synagogue.
.JPG)
.svg){kind=small}
