Jewish Community Regensburg

After the end of World War II, numerous survivors of concentration camps were taken into DP camps (camps of displaced persons) in Regensburg and the surrounding area (US zone) on the basis of the authorization of the American military administration. They were joined by survivors from Poland who had fled new pogroms in Poland (1946). In 1945, a Jewish DP (Displaced Persons) community (Jewish Community) was founded in Regensburg, whose chairmen were Jakob Gottlieb and Efraim Brenner. The addresses of the Jewish DP community were Pfauengasse 1 (Café Central) and Gabelsbergerstraße 11 (Götz-Villa). Between 600 (November 1945) and 1540 people (January 1948) lived in the Regensburg camp. After the founding of the State of Israel in May 1948, the number of Jewish camp residents decreased rapidly. Some had emigrated in the meantime also to the USA and to Canada as well as to other countries. In the vicinity of Regensburg there were other camps for displaced persons.&/p>

In February 1951, 266 persons were still counted in the camp. As special facilities there were by then in the camp a prayer room, a religious school (Talmud Torah school), an elementary school and a vocational school, in addition there were several clubs (sports clubs). A Yiddish newspaper was published in the camp ('The Najer Moment'). The religious care of the DPs was taken over by Rabbi Dr. Josef Glatzer from May 30, 1945. In 1949 he emigrated to the USA. 

On August 1, 1950, an Israelite religious community was founded in Regensburg, in which the displaced persons still remaining in Regensburg were accepted. Few Regensburg residents from the pre-war community had returned by then and were also among the founders of the new community. Rabbi Yakob Simcha Avidor had become the rabbi in the meantime. The new congregation included about 350 people. The congregation was Orthodox in character, the large part of the members had Polish-Jewish roots. 
The first congregational board included: Max Hirsch, Chaim Schwerdt, Chaim Pommeranz, Dr. Martin Rottenberg, Josef Ciesierski and Markus Kalfus. The community was able to open its own Jewish kindergarten in 1951 and a Hebrew school in 1953.  
 
In the 1960s and 1970s, the number of Jewish community members declined. Around 1970, there were still 140 congregation members. After Rabbi Avidor, the congregation was served first by Rabbi Kraus, then by Rabbi Nathan David Liebermann. The latter officiated until 1969, after which there was no rabbi in the city for many years.

Prominent figures in congregational life were long-time chairman Otto Schwerdt (died 2007) and Hans Rosengold (died 2011). 

Since the mid-1990s, the Jewish community in Regensburg has grown strongly. In 1996, about 190 community members were counted, in 1998 almost 400 people. Currently (2017), over 1,000 people belong to the community. In addition, there are another 200-300 people who have not yet received recognition as Jews due to missing papers. The head of the community is Ilse Danziger. 
The community is supervised by Rabbi Chaim Bloch. 

After the community center established in the 1960s was completely inadequate, after its demolition since 2016 a new Jewish Center with synagogue, cultural spaces and administrative offices at the corner Luzengasse / Brixener Hof and thus on the site of the synagogue destroyed in 1938 is being built. To support the project, the Förderverein Neue Regensburger Synagoge was founded in November 2013. The members of the association set themselves the goal that it succeeds with their support to help the Jewish community of Regensburg in 2019, 500 years after the destruction of the synagogue at Neupfarrplatz, to a new synagogue 

Note: 50 non-Jewish citizens from various sectors of society founded a sponsoring association in November 2013 to help fund the construction of the new synagogue. 
  
At the end of 2015, archaeological investigations (excavations) were carried out on the site. After that, construction could begin. 
  
The topping-out ceremony could be celebrated on October 19, 2017; The inauguration of the new synagogue is scheduled for February 23, 2019.