Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments

Publication: The Turei Zahav (Golden Rose) Synagogue in L'viv

2012-01-29T13:39:00.008-05:00

Publication: The Turei Zahav (Golden Rose) Synagogue in L'viv L'viv, Ukraine. Golden Rose Synagogue ruin. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber (2008). Ukraine-born, L'viv-trained and Israeli-based architectural historian Sergey R. Kravtsov, has been studying the history and architecture of Golden Rose Synagogue, destroyed in the Second Wold War and surviving as a ruin, for at least a decade. He has now

Kosovo: Can New Treaty Stop Continued Deterioration of "New" Jewish Cemetery of Pristina?

2012-01-28T13:22:00.025-05:00

Pristina, Kosovo. "New" Jewish Cemetery. Photos: Ivan Ceresnjes (2012) Kosovo: Can New Treaty Stop Continued Deterioration of "New" Jewish Cemetery of Pristina? by Samuel D. Gruber (ISJM) The fate of long-neglected Jewish sites in the newly independent small and poor country of Kosovo has recently received some attention. On December 14, 2011, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton

Publication: Images: A Journal of Jewish Art and Visual Culture, 5

2012-01-27T10:22:00.003-05:00

Publication: Images: A Journal of Jewish Art and Visual Culture, 5 The fifth volume of the journal of Images: A Journal of Jewish Art and Visual Culture (2011) is published and is available online and in print at: http://www.brill.nl/images The special issue focuses on the Eruv, with multiple articles addressing the history, forms and contemporary expression of the eruv and related issues of

Jewish Heritage Europe: Retooled, Redesigned and Relaunched

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

Jewish Heritage Europe Retooled, Redesigned and Relaunched Jewish-Heritage-Europe.eu, an ambitious website intended to collate new and information about Jewish historic, religious and cultural sites in Europe funded by the Rothschild Foundation and active especially in 2006-2007, has been entirely redesigned and updated. The version of the site which is much more user friendly and contains more

USA: Olean, NY Synagogue Added to National Register

2012-01-26T12:22:00.002-05:00

USA: Olean, New York Synagogue (1929) Added to National Register of Historic Places Two weeks ago I gave a lecture about New York synagogues, with special attention given to the large numbers of historic structures that have been named local protected sites and/or added to the National Register of Historic Places. At the time I didn't know of the latest synagogue addition to the National

Holocaust Memorials in American Jewish Cemeteries

2012-01-19T09:03:00.004-05:00

Holocaust Memorials in American Jewish Cemeteries Jerry Klinger, who through through the not-for -profit Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation has organized the creation and installation of historical and commeorative markers at the many Jewish historic sites across the Unted States (and some abroad), and brought to my attention a section of the website of the (online) Museum of

2012-01-17T10:02:00.000-05:00

Cross posted from Jewish Heritage Travel Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Czech Republic -- vandalism at Puklice Jewish cemetery By Ruth Ellen Gruber Vandals have damaged or toppled about 10 gravestones in the centuries-old Jewish cemetery in Puklice, near Jihlava. The cemetery is listed as a national cultural monument and had recently undergone restoration.

Bulgaria: Survey of Jewish Sites Published

2012-01-14T10:31:00.006-05:00

Bulgaria: Survey of Jewish Sites Published The United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad has published a survey of Jewish Historic Monuments and Sites in Bulgaria, including information on the location, history and condition of synagogues and cemeteries. Some of this material has been posted on the website Jewish Heritage Europe and has circulated in other

Jewish Heritage Travel: Serbia -- Concern at condition of historic Nis Jew...

2011-12-29T18:08:00.000-05:00

Jewish Heritage Travel: Serbia -- Concern at condition of historic Nis Jew...: Vandalized tomb in Nis Cemetery, Dec. 22, 2011. Photo courtesy of Jasna Ciric By Ruth Ellen Gruber More than seven years after a well-...

Publication: Memorializing the Holocaust: Gender, Genocide and Collective Memory

2011-12-16T07:50:00.007-05:00

Berlin, Germany. Rosenstrasse Protest Monument. Ingeborg Hunzinger, artist. Monument installed 1995. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber.Women of Ravenbruck. Exhibit at Florida Holocaust Museum.Memorializing the Holocaust: Gender, Genocide and Collective MemoryReaders of the blog may be interested in Janet Jacobs book, published last year, that explores how women's experience of the Holocaust is described

USA: Syracuse University Library has acquired the personal papers of architect Morris Lapidus

2011-12-14T14:04:00.013-05:00

Miami Beach, Fl. Temple Menorah, 1962. Morris Lapidus, arch. From D. Desilets, Morris Lapidus: The Architecture of Joy (New York: Rizzoli, 2010), 167. This photo is now part of the Lapidus Collection at Syracuse University.USA: Syracuse University Library has acquired the personal papers of architect Morris Lapidus. Syracuse University Library has acquired the personal papers of the flamboyant

Conference Session: From Historicism to Deconstructivism: Reconsidering European Synagogue Architecture

2011-12-12T18:56:00.013-05:00

Prague, Czech Rep. Spanish Synagogue addition. Karel Pecanek, arch. (1935). Photo: Samuel D. GruberBrno, Czech Rep. Agudas Ahim Synagogue, Brno. Otto Eisler, arch. (1936). Photo: Samuel D. Gruber (2004).Nis, Serbia. Former Synagogue. 1920s? Photo: Veljko N.Leeds, England. Former Leeds New Synagogue. J. Stanley Wright, arch. (1929-1932). Photo: Samuel D. Gruber (2003).Conference Session: From

Morocco: NEH grant to help digitize Rabat Geniza Documents

2011-12-12T18:11:00.011-05:00

One among thousands of documents Kosansky sifted through. These documents were written in Judeo-Arabic, an Arab dialect written in Hebrew script . Photo: Lewis & ClarkMorocco: NEH grant to help digitize Rabat Geniza DocumentsA Lewis & Clark anthropologist has recieved a grant to digitize documents found in a Rabat Geniza. According to the Lewis & Clarke College website:What began with simple

Slovakia: New Jewish Guidebook

2011-12-12T18:00:00.006-05:00

Maros Borsky in front of former synagogue of Nitra (now Holocaust Memorial). Photo: Samuel D. Gruber (2005).Nitra, Slovakia. Former Synagogue. Ark. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber (2005).Cross posted from Jewish Heritage TravelSlovakia -- New Jewish Guidebook By Ruth Ellen GruberMazel tov to Maros Borsky on the publication of his valuable new bilingual Slovak-English guidebook to Jewish Monuments in

USA: Hanukah Celebration at New York's Kehila Kedosha Janina, December 18th

2011-12-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

New York, NY. Kehila Kedosha Janina, interior. Photo: Vincent GiordanoNew York, NY. Kehila Kedosha Janina. Bar Mitzvah. Photo: Vincent Giordano USA: Hanukah Celebration at New York's Kehila Kedosha Janina, December 18thOne of my favorite Jewish spaces in New york is the tiny Kehila Kedosha Janina (KKJ) on Broome Street on the Lower East Side. This is the home to the region's Greek (Romaniote)

Lithuania: Vilnius Middle School has Walls Made of Broken Matzevot

2011-12-11T21:35:00.022-05:00

Vilnius, Lithuania. Uzupis cemetery in 2000. Photos: Samuel D. Gruber (2000)Lithuania: Vilnius Middle School has Walls Made of Broken MatzevotEleven years ago I visited the Uzupis Jewish Cemetery in Vilnius (Vilna), Lithuania, or rather what remained of it. In the dark light of winter I climbed the hill of the cemetery to look for traces of gravestones and walls. Where there were approximately

Lithuania: Former Anykščiai Synagogue Demolished

2011-11-25T17:32:00.009-05:00

Anykščiai, Lithuania. Demolition of former synagogue. Photo from Nyksciai.lt informacija Lithuania: Former Anykščiai Synagogue Demolished(ISJM) One line and a few pictures in a Lithuanian online news service reported the demolition of the former community synagogue in the northern Lithuanian town of Anykščiai (Aniksht in Yiddish). The reason given for the demolition of the building

USA: Newark's Former Oheb Shalom by William Lehman is 100 Years Old

2011-11-25T15:37:00.017-05:00

Newark, NJ. Wells Cathedral, former Congregation Oheb Shalom. William Lehman, architect 1910-1911. Photos: Samuel D. Gruber (2006).USA: Newark's Former Oheb Shalom by William Lehman is 100 Years Oldby Samuel D. Gruber(ISJM) I've previously written about the centennial of the classical-style Temple Concord in Syracuse, dedicated in September 1911. Another impressive (Greco-Roman) Temple-like

Slovenia: Jewish Soldiers of the Austria-Hungarian Army On The Isonzo Front

2011-11-16T07:59:00.009-05:00

Stanjel, Slovenia. Jewish graves at Austrian military cemetery. Photos: Ruth Ellen Gruber (2003)Slovenia Exhibition: Forgive Us, Forgive Us O You Dead. Jewish Soldiers of the Austria-Hungarian Army On The Isonzo Frontby Samuel D. Gruber(ISJM) The international exhibition Forgive Us, Forgive Us O You Dead. Jewish Soldiers of the Austria-Hungarian Army On The Isonzo Front will open tomorrow,

UK: Last East London Jewish Hospital Demolished

2011-11-07T06:20:00.000-05:00

From The ForwardOctober 31, 2011, 1:47pm Last East London Jewish Hospital Demolished By Renee Ghert-Zand Despite opposition, the last remaining Jewish hospital building in London’s East End will be torn down to make way for a five-story housing development. The Tower Hamlets council agreed

USA:125th anniversary of Eldridge Street Synagogue Cornerstone

2011-11-07T05:54:00.012-05:00

USA:125th anniversary of Eldridge Street Synagogue Cornerstoneby Samuel D. GruberI often tell my clients to let no anniversary go unnoticed - each is an opportunity to stage an event and to raise attention and money. Few know this lesson better than the folks at the Museum at Eldridge Street. They know how to celebrate and after all they have achieved, they have every right to do so. Jews

India: Parur and other Cochin Synagogues

2011-11-06T17:02:00.005-05:00

India: Parur and other Cochin SynagoguesShala Weil, author of India's Jewish Heritage: Ritual, Art and Life-Cycle (Mumbai: Marg Publications [first published in 2002; 3rd edn.], 2009) and dozens of articles on India's Jewish culture and history, has reminded me of the wonderful offering of the website:The Synagogues of Kerala India: Architectural and Cultural Heritage The site is very rich in

India: Jews of Cochin (and Judaica)

2011-11-06T12:50:00.008-05:00

India: Jews of Cochin (and Judaica)Many of my readers may also be interested in following the blog Jews of Cochin maintained by Bala Menon. Bala's most recent posting is about the Judaica of Cochin Jews which is increasing turning up in notably collections, and also at Judaica auctions.Meanwhile, the government in Kerala (India) is nearing completion on the careful restoration of the former

Suriname: Restoration at Jodensavanne Celebrates a Milestone

2011-11-02T13:10:00.026-04:00

Jodensavanne, Suriname. Local residents have been trained in restoration techniques. Photo collage courtesy of the Jodensavanne Foundation (2011).Suriname: Restoration at Jodensavanne Celebrates a Milestone(ISJM) Harrold A. Sijlbing - Chairman of the Jodensavanne Foundation writes to International Survey of Jewish Monuments that the "Foundation has realized an important goal in preserving the

Exhibition: Photos of Death Camp Drawings on View at Auschwitz

2011-11-02T12:36:00.010-04:00

Exhibition: Photos of Death Camp Drawings on View at Auschwitz Forbidden Art is the title of a new exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum Memorial on view until November 20, 2011 on the grounds of the former Auschwitz I camp in the camp laundry building.The exhibition features photographic reproductions of twenty works of art made illegally and under the threat of death by

Call for Papers: Ars Judaica Conference

2011-11-02T12:26:00.002-04:00

Call for Papers: “Ars Judaica” Conference TRADITIONS AND PERSPECTIVES IN HISTORY OF JEWISH ART Bar-Ilan University, Israel, September 10–13, 2012. The conference will bring together historians of art and material culture and researchers in history, religions, semiotics, psychology, sociology, and folklore to explore the fields of interest of “Ars Judaica – The Bar-Ilan Journal of Jewish Art” that

Holland: Effort to Improve Amsterdam's Zeeburg Cemetery

2011-11-01T08:08:00.008-04:00

Holland: Effort to Improve Amsterdam's Zeeburg Cemeteryby Samuel D. Gruber(ISJM) Thousands of foreign tourists visit some of Amsterdam's famous Jewish sites every year, notably the great Esnoga, or Portuguese synagogue (1675). Ten of thousands of Dutch attend the exhibits and events at the Joods Historich Museum, located in a group of historic Ashkenazi synagogues, including the Great Synagogue

Poland: Auschwitz’s future secure, preservationists worry about ‘forgotten’ Nazi camps

2011-10-24T23:42:00.000-04:00

Auschwitz’s future secure, preservationists worry about ‘forgotten’ Nazi campsBy Ruth Ellen Gruber · October 12, 2011ROME (JTA) -- Auschwitz, the most notorious camp in the Nazi killing machine, may soon claim success in its campaign to preserve the legacy of the Holocaust.The foundation supporting the site in southern Poland has attracted tens of millions of dollars from donor countries, and

Arise and Build: American Synagogues and Jewish Identity

2011-10-18T12:03:00.014-04:00

West Hartford, CT. Interior of sanctuirary, restored in 2006. Photo: courtesy of Cong. Beth Israel.Arise and Build: American Synagogues and Jewish Identity Samuel D. Gruber lecture at Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, ConnecticutSunday, October 23, 12 noonIn the last century, American Jews have built synagogues at a rate never seen in the world before, and in the process they have

Synagogues in Hungary: A Conversation with Rudolf Klein

2011-10-18T08:16:00.008-04:00