One of the highlights of Rabbi Stephen Fuchs’ 10-week trip to Germany last fall was a Shabbat service he led on Nov. 6 in the town of Friedrichsstadt – the first Jewish worship service in the town since 1937. “What a joy not to only to reclaim [the house] as a cultural center but as a synagogue for Jewish worship,” said Fuchs, who is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford and past president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. “I am grateful to the Eternal One for granting me the privilege of leading this historic service.” Now used as a cultural center, the synagogue was built in 1847 and destroyed by the Nazis in 1938. The building was used as a private home for a Nazi officer in 1941 and restored and returned to the Jewish community in 2002.

CAP: Rabbi Fuchs explains the Torah portion during Shabbat services.