Three religions under one roof: A Jewish synagogue, a Christian church, and a Muslim mosque will be built all as one large building in the capital of Germany, Berlin. The location, in the heart of Berlin, was specifically chosen since Berlin was once the place where the planning of the extermination of 6 million Jews took place. The building is going to be built with a design that caters to the needs of all three religions; e.g., the mosque will have a place to wash feet and the church will have an organ.
The building is said to be constructed where the first church of Berlin was once located. “Each faith will keep its distinctive ways within its own areas,” says Pastor Gregor Hohberg, a Protestant parish priest. “Under one roof: one synagogue, one mosque, one church. We want to use these rooms for our own traditions and prayers. And together we want to use the room in the middle for dialogue and discussion and also for people without faith.”
Rabbi Tovia Ben Chorin, one of the leaders of the project, predicts that the three religious groups will be able to operate in harmony. “That there are people within each group who can’t [get along] is our problem but you have to start somewhere and that’s what we are doing.”