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Saxony, Germany - Heads are shaking at the Central Council of Jews in Germany. "Unworthy" is how Stephan Kramer, the Council's general secretary, describes disputes over how to mark the coming 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht in the eastern German town of Görlitz. "There can't be a competition over who makes the better and more beautiful ceremony," he said.

How best to commemorate the night that -- in the minds of many -- marked the beginning of the Holocaust is an extremely sensitive issue, throughout Germany. During the infamous pogrom of Nov. 9-10, 1938, Nazis destroyed synagogues as well as Jewish cemeteries, businesses and homes. Hundreds were killed and more than 30,000 Jewish men were arrested on the "Night of Broken Glass," as Kristallnacht is often referred to in English. The domed synagogue in Görlitz was also set ablaze, but local fireman succeeded in dousing the flames and the structure remained intact.

Seventy years later, the small Jewish community in the German state of Saxony had planned to commemorate the victims with a religious service in the building that would include a performance by a Polish dance group and testimony from an 85-year-old Kristallnacht witness flown in from Israel.

But the building belongs to the state, and the state would prefer to have a secular and all-inclusive ceremony, leading to the Jewish community feeling excluded. "The city wants to put their stamp on the event," complains Alex Jakobowitz, the Jewish community's cantor and chairman.

The conflict came to a head over a Torah scroll that the community planned to borrow for the celebration from the nearby city of Dresden. Görlitz officials worried that allowing a Torah ceremony in the building -- which was officially deconsecrated in 1938 -- would undercut its supposedly secular status. If the structure once again becomes a synagogue, they reason, it will no longer be available for open functions. But since the city holds the deed to the building, it is now threatening to cancel the entire memorial service.

A Winding Tale of Ownership

The conflict has been brewing for months. It's about how an almost century-old synagogue can be used. But it's also about the interactions between the city and the Jewish community.

Görlitz has been home to Jews since the 14th century. The synagogue in question was built in 1911, when the city's Jewish community had approximately 900 members. After World War II, its deed was transferred to the Jewish community in Dresden because there were only two Jews left in Görlitz. The rest had fled or been murdered.

In 1963, the city of Görlitz bought the building. It then stood empty for decades. In the 1990s, rather than reassuming possession of the structure as part of restitution talks related to the Jewish Claims Conference, the Jewish community accepted monetary compensation.

Since then, the city has used the synagogue as a venue for concerts, readings and talks, and it would also like to see it used as a "cultural and conference center." During that period, a group formed to support the synagogue paid to have the building partially renovated, but a lack of funds prevented work from being carried out on the entire structure. In 2008, the city took over the renovations and devoted €305,000 ($383,000) in preservation funds to it.

For the last year, the 28 members of the local Jewish community have been using the building for religious services. Jakobowitz wants to fill the synagogue once again with Jewish life, and he denies the city's speculations that the Jewish community is hoping to make fresh claims on the building. For one thing, he adds, the community isn't large enough to assume administrative responsibility for the building.

In 2007, local businessman Avi Goldreich wanted to purchase the building from the city and convert it back into a synagogue. But the city said no to the deal, claiming that Goldreich's offer of €20,000 was too low.

More recently, the Council's Stephan Kramer has appealed to Jakobowitz to seek a compromise. "This should not be about the self-image of a community," Kramer says, "but, rather, about the commemoration of a day."

Now, it does appear that the two sides might actually come to an agreement, though not before next week. The Jewish community will most likely not be allowed to have a procession bringing the Torah into the building, but otherwise the event will likely go ahead as planned.

The local Protestant church will also hold a commemoration service, as it does every year. Pastor Hans-Wilhelm, for one, feels "very aggrieved" about the local quarrel, according to the Sächsische Zeitung. As he sees it, conflict goes against the spirit of the day of remembrance.