Mainz, Germany  - Officials spoke of hope as the cornerstone was laid Sunday for a new synagogue in the German city of Mainz, just over 70 years after the old one was destroyed.

The old house of worship was destroyed in the November 9, 1938 pogrom known as Kristallnacht, when Nazis ransacked thousands of Jewish homes, shops and synagogues, destroying many. The rebuilding ceremony comes weeks after ceremonies to commemorate the losses Germany's Jewish community suffered that night.

"We should be very happy that Jewish life is becoming visible in our country," said Charlotte Knobloch, president of Germany's Central Council of Jews. Kurt Beck, the premier of Rhineland Palatinate, in which Mainz is located, spoke of a "tomorrow that can give us hope."

The synagogue, along with a community centre, is being built on the site of the old synagogue. The cost of the construction project is being shared by the city and the state. (dpa)