Synagogue Ringstraße (Weiden)

From the Middle Ages and from the 17th century there are no reports of a prayer hall or a synagogue.
   
The Jewish families who had moved in since the 1860s initially attended services in the synagogue in Floß. From at least 1882 to 1889, services were held in a prayer room in the house of Joseph Wilmersdörfer. In 1889 a Jewish community center with synagogue and school could be built and furnished. The solemn inauguration of the synagogue took place on September 20, 1889 (Friday before Rosh Hashanah 5650) in the presence of Rabbi Wittelshöfer from Floß.

In 1905, a major reconstruction had to be made to increase security in the building, since on special occasions often more than 100 male and female people gathered in the prayer room and only a relatively narrow staircase led to the prayer room. It was decided to build an emergency exit and an iron emergency staircase on the courtyard side. In November 1905, the reconstruction was completed.  
   
During the November pogrom in 1938, local members of the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel destroyed the synagogue's interior as well as almost all ritual items. Two Torah scrolls were saved and brought to Regensburg. The building was not burned down over the objection of the mayor. Later it was sold and converted into a commercial building. 
In August 1948, five of those involved in the November 1938 riots stood trial before the Weiden District Court. Two defendants received prison sentences of one year and one month and one year, respectively, and three were acquitted. In June 1952, another participant was sentenced to ten months in prison. 

In 1948, the Jewish community received back its former property. The synagogue building was restored. In it, on the second floor is the prayer hall with 70 seats and a women's synagogue; on the first floor, among other things, is the community office and a community hall (for 100 people). A schoolroom, a kosher kitchen and a ritual bath are also located in the area of the community center. Plans are in place for the construction of a new community center.