Scuola Tedesca (German Synagogue), Venice

The German Synagogue, constructed by the Ashkenazi community around 1528, holds the distinction of being the oldest among the synagogues in Venice. Its unassuming location on the top floor of a building allows it to blend seamlessly with its surroundings, save for the graceful presence of five white stone arches. Above the cornice, an inscription proclaims, "Scuola Grande of the German Holy Community; may God protect them, Amen". Inside, marble-clad walls and the gilded Ten Commandments against a backdrop of red create a captivating atmosphere that envelops the worship hall.

Together with its neighboring counterpart, the Canton Synagogue, completed in 1532, the German Synagogue represents the early influence of the Ashkenazi community in the formative years of the Ghetto, preceding the arrival of wealthier Jewish merchants from Spain and the Levant in the 1550s.

Like other synagogues in Venice, the German Synagogue ceased regular use in October 1917, when the local Jewish community was disbanded. Subsequently, the administration of all Jewish places of worship was consolidated under a single institution known as the Templi Israelitici Uniti.