The new synagogue was consecrated in 1952, making it the only synagogue to be built after the Second World War on the territory of the former GDR. It was built on the site of the destroyed Great Synagogue and today forms the center of a lively community. The Jewish community in Erfurt, which was newly founded in 1945, only had around 20 members, but the Jewish community of Thuringia now has around 800 members again. The weekly Shabbat services, which are also open to non-Jewish visitors, are held in the New Synagogue.