Berlin - Music by the Polish-born Israeli composer Yehezkel Braun opens Berlin's Jewish Cultural Festival, which begins in the German capital on Saturday.

The official opening of the 22nd festival takes place on Saturday evening with a concert in the synagogue in Rykestrasse, the largest in Germany and one of the few to have survived World War II.

Ernst-Senff-Chof directs the Hamburg ensemble Resonanz in a performance of Braun's music composed for use in a religious context. The soloist is Mimi Sheffer.

Simultaneously the traditional "long night of the synagogues" begins at five separate venues, where visitors can experience Jewish culture.

Berlin's 12,000-strong Jewish community is also opening many of its historic buildings to visitors.

The festival, which drew some 28,000 visitors last year, lasts until September 21, offering music from classical to pop, lectures, dance and exhibitions.

Among the performers is the pianist Elena Bashkirova, the singer Esther Ofarim and Idan Raichel with his musicians from Yemen and Ethiopia.

The festival ends with a street party in central Berlin that aims to recreate the atmosphere of Tel Aviv's market, the Shuk HaCarmel. (dpa)