For many Jews after the war anything German was taboo but Germany today has one of the fastest growing jewish populations in western Europe. About 200,000 mostly recent migrants since the fall of the wall. Germany has a long jewish history and in many ways a very tolerant history, not perfect but the fragmented nature of the Holy Roman Empire meant jews could easily find refuge in a neighbouring state in the event of oppression. Berlin was the home of Moses Mendelsohn known as the German socrates, the home of the Jewish enlightenment. The new synagogue reflects the position and prestigee of the jewish community in Berlin in the 19th century.

One of the first synagogues built after the war was in Offenbach in 1956. Not many German jews survived the holocaust, the synagogue was built mostly for Polish survivors, only about 1000 Jews were left in Berlin. The synagogue in Offenbach was considered short term, most people were intending to travel to America or Israel. The community around the synagogue was seen as a way of facilitating that emigration.

There was an attempt to issue a ban on Germany. The Zionist movement wanted Ben-Gurion to ban jews from living in Germany.

After the cold war 200,000 Jews in eastern Europe were granted asylum and financial assistance to move to Germany.

There was no anti-semitic policies, quite the opposite. The community was almost invisible throughout the cold war since it was so small. There are incidents of far right violence against the jewish community, they're a cause for concern but they're not necassarily more significant or widespread than anti-semitic violence in other European countries. Unfortunately like other European countries it's increasing but there has been a significant movement to counter that trend. Last September approx 5000 people gathered at the Brandenburg gate to condemn anti-semitism. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed the demonstration and make some hearthfelt and widely reported remarks. A short report about that here. Jewish people are now a present and integral part of German society again.

Very good radio broadcast from the BBC here about Germany's jewish community. It supports most of my points. Germany Memories of a Nation: The New German Jews