Jewish heritage

Saxony’s history has substantially been influenced by its Jewish communities. After Jews had been expelled in the 15th century and were only allowed to attend the Leipzig trade fairs, Elector Augustus the Strong appointed Behrend Lehmann as a Jewish adviser at his court in 1696. Without his help, Augustus would not have ascended to the Polish throne one year later. In the 19th century, synagogues were re-established. In 1869, Jews were granted full civic rights, and the Jewish community grew and prospered, with its members making significant contributions to Saxony’s economic, cultural and political life. Before the Nazis came to power, more than 20,000 Jews lived in Saxony, not only in the three large cities of Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz, but also in Plauen, Zwickau, Freiberg, Aue, Döbeln and Görlitz, the latter being part of Silesia at that time.

After the Holocaust, the difficult times of the GDR and the German Reunification, a formal treaty between the state of Saxony and the Jewish community was signed in 1994. New synagogues were built in Dresden and Chemnitz and the former synagogue of Görlitz was re-opened as a cultural centre. The Jewish communities in Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz have more than 2,500 members today and Jewish culture is celebrated in various festivals throughout the year. In 2026, Saxony is celebrating Jewish life with the „Tacheles 2026“ festival.