The Bylaws of Frankfurt’s Neo-Orthodox Synagogue: A Developmental History

This essay seeks to present the history and context of the ‘Synagogenordnungen’, the synagogal bylaws that German-Jewish communities established in the middle and late nineteenth century. Focusing primarily upon the bylaws instituted within the Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft (IRG), the Neo-Orthodox synagogue in Frankfurt am Main, this essay argues that these ordinances reflect the uniquely centrist character of that synagogue, as it concomitantly rejected the encroachment of Reform Judaism and embraced many elements of the surrounding Germanic cultural norms and mores. By examining both the contextual framework and the historical development of the three iterations of these bylaws (written in 1874, 1907, and 1927 respectively) it is possible to gain a large measure of insight into both the ideological priorities of the IRG’s leadership and the practical manner in which these priorities were acted upon.