Jews have been living in the region between the Rhine and the Ruhr since the late Middle Ages. Their presence in Rhineland is demonstrable since the 11th - 12th centuries and in Westphalia there is evidence of Jewish settlements since the
13th - 14th centuries.

From the end of the Middle Ages until the beginning of the modern era Jews found themselves increasingly segregated, which often manifested itself in forced displacement as well as confiscation, or destruction, of their buildings. There is evidence from this period of urban planning measures of this kind in areas such as the Judengasse with its synagogues and ritual bathhouses in medieval Dortmund.

It was only in the 19th century, when the Enlightenment resulted in an increasingly tolerant attitude towards Jews living in predominantly Christian societies, that communities began to expand, which led to the construction of wholly Jewish institutions.

Initially Jews constructed quite plain and functional buildings, but the increasing self-awareness and social acceptance of Jews in German bourgeoisie brought about the construction of prestigious synagogues and various community buildings such as schools and nursing homes by the end of the 19th century.
The architectural and design idiom used in these buildings clearly reflects the different influences on, and the self-image of, the religious communities. The advanced assimilation of the Jews especially in the upper strata of society, which was expressed through a very accultured Jewish faith orientation on the one hand, and German nationalism on the other, is particularly evident in the Gothic style of Dortmund Synagogue finished in 1900. Today however, only a memorial stone and the name “Platz der Alten Synagoge” in front of the city theatre shows the influence of Jews in the development of the city of Dortmund.
Another architectural monument to Jewish self-image, the old Essen Synagogue, to a large extent withstood the destruction of the so-called "Reichskristallnacht" (Crystal Night) on 9-10 November 1938. This monumental structure next to the Steeler Tor still reminds us today of the great influence that the Jewish community exerted in the beginning of the 20th century, which is apparent in its architecture and convenient position from an urban planning perspective.

But in the 19th century Jewish communities were not only in larger towns but also in more rural regions, where also built small, modest synagogues, such as the one in Selm-Bork.
The rapidly increasing size of Jewish communities towards the end of the 19th century also created the need for a specifically Jewish infrastructure in addition to building synagogues. For example, in Unna, the Israelitische Altenheim for the Westphalia province was established, and in 1907 in Recklinghausen Jews built a schoolhouse with a Mikwe, a ritual bath facility, in its basement.

During the 19th century a shift from Hebrew to German can be observed in inscriptions on gravestones in Jewish cemeteries, as well as an increasingly frequent use of the Christian calendar; This clearly shows the growing assimilation of the Jewish population.

After the Second World War only a few Holocaust survivors returned to Germany, and the size of Jewish religious communities remained small.
Only with the influx of East European Jews after 1990 did these communities begin to increase significantly, facilitating a clear revival of the practice of Jewish religion in the Ruhr Region.
In this way, the Jewish faith is once again importing foreign influences into the region, demonstrated in the more traditional religious customs and culture of the East European Jews. This enriches the culture and life of the Ruhr Region, and also manifests itself architecturally in, among other things, synagogue architecture.