Better protection for synagogues Research project aims to improve the safety of buildings and people

Whether in Halle an der Saale, Lübeck, Ulm, Oldenburg or, most recently, Wuppertal – attacks on synagogues and Jewish community centres are, sadly, on the rise again in Germany. Synagogues represent Jewish communities and, as symbols of Jewish life, are repeatedly targeted by anti-Semitic attacks. How can we protect the buildings, but above all their visitors and users? These questions are being investigated in the collaborative research project “Hiding in plain sight – Visible Architecture and vulnerable Jews”, coordinated by Technische Universität Braunschweig, from the perspectives of Architecture, Jewish communities and the police.

According to the recently published “Overview of the Situation of Jewish Communities in Germany 2026” by the Central Council of Jews in Germany, 45 per cent of the Jewish communities surveyed have been affected by anti-Semitic attacks. The interdisciplinary research team will analyse the relevant aspects of subjective and objective security, including the architecture, the community’s sense of security and police protection of the premises.

Protection as a social responsibility

“For centuries, synagogues have been the target of anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic violence. An attack on a place where Jewish people gather affects them directly, depriving them of the opportunity to live safely and practise their religion freely,” explains PD Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Knufinke, project coordinator and scientific director of the Bet Tfila – Research Centre for Jewish Architecture in Europe at TU Braunschweig. “Protecting these places must therefore be a collective social responsibility.” The aim of the project is therefore to examine synagogues from a security perspective, bringing together all relevant stakeholders.

“The police have a duty to ensure security and bear primary responsibility for the protection of human rights in society,” says Sarah Jadwiga Jahn from the North Rhine-Westphalia University of Applied Sciences for Police and Administration (HSPV). “Police protection of synagogues is therefore more than just a preventive measure. It is central to the sense of security felt by Jewish people and represents the protection of our democracy,” Jahn continues.

Anti-Semitism in all areas of life

Not least, it is Jewish people who should feel safe, especially as synagogues and community centres are central to the social aspects of community life. According to Dani Kranz, research coordinator at the Tikvah Institute and chair of Präsenzen – Netzwerk Jüdischer Gegenwartsforschung e.V., experience has shown that “Jews are confronted with anti-Semitism in all areas of their lives. Synagogues, in particular, must therefore be a place where they can feel safe. To achieve this, we must understand them and also their needs in terms of buildings, personal security staff and property security personnel.”

The aim of the research is to enhance security on several levels through better coordination, as well as greater knowledge and understanding, as many aspects are relevant to the security of synagogues: the Architecture of the building, procedures within Jewish communities and, where applicable, their security services, property protection by the police and, last but not least, public awareness. The project partners aim to hold joint workshops with the target groups, develop guidance for architects as well as for police practice and training, and raise awareness among Jewish communities regarding police and architectural approaches to security, so that synagogues will continue to be safe spaces in the future.

Project details

The three-year project “Hiding in plain sight – Visible Architecture and vulnerable Jews” is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under the funding guideline “Causes and Dynamics of Contemporary Anti-Semitism” and forms part of the research network “Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century” (FoNA21). The project brings together the Bet Tfila – Research Centre for Jewish Architecture in Europe at Technische Universität Braunschweig, the University of Applied Sciences for Police and Public Administration North Rhine-Westphalia (HSPV) and the Tikvah Institute gUG, in cooperation with Präsenzen – Network for Contemporary Jewish Studies e.V.