Slovakia: What's Wrong with the Bratislava Holocaust Memorial?

[n.b. this was first posted on June 17, 2009]

Slovakia: What's Wrong with the Bratislava Memorial?
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) My readers know my interest in getting the story straight, and when it comes to Holocaust Monuments and Memorials I have a strong sense that collectively they are not getting or telling the story - straight or otherwise.

The big question is how can one remember what one doesn't know? How can one "not forget" what is never fully discussed or taught? In some recent posts I've discussed some ways that informative narratives can be added to monuments to make them meaningful to everyone who passes by and wants to know.

We all know that monuments - whether to kings, generals, scientists or town fathers - go silent after not too many years. In the case of many purported Holocaust memorials, silence is built into their very design. Their purpose is clear only to a chosen few. With a didactic or narrative text, few people know what these monuments stand for- and those that do know have the excuse to avoid specifics.

This is the case of the Holocaust Memorial in Bratislava, Slovakia, and also its adjacent commemorative synagogue image, erected in 1996 in the Old Town center of Bratislava, on the site of the former Neolog Synagogue which was torn down in the Soviet period (not by the Nazis or their Slovak allies) to make way for a highway.



The monument is a striking piece of sculpture, and its placement, and the adjacent wall size engraved image of the Great Synagogue are very effective ways to enliven an otherwise near-dead space - a former plaza now cut through be a highway. But to the passing resident or visitor, young or old, they say nothing of what they are and why they are there, and they give no details the people and places they are meant to recall.

According to Maros Borsky on the website of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center:

The Memorial was erected in 1996 by the Slovak Republic to commemorate the memory of 105,000 Holocaust victims from Slovakia. The location was not selected accidentally. The Holocaust memorial was composed as a place of public remembrance, where two layers of history intertwine: the memory of the tragic event and the memory of the former Rybné Square synagogue, still remembered by many Bratislavians, and which can be often found on historical photos hanging in Bratislava cafés. The memorial consists of the black wall with silhouette of the destroyed synagogue and the central sculpture with non-figurative motif and a David Shield on the top, placed on the black granite platform with “zachor” [remember] and “pamätaj” inscriptions. The plot of the former synagogue is owned by the Bratislava Municipality, which leases the site for an annual symbolical fee to the Museum of Jewish Culture, which maintains the memorial.

I was struck on my last visit to Bratislava that none of this information is knowable without going to Maros's website. There is no sign, no plaque, not text at all except "Remember!" in Hebrew and Slovak. In the history of Bratislava there are so many events one can be asked to remember, so which does this recall?

Some might say I'm unfair, since monuments do receive attention when they are the focus of events - such as Yom ha-Shoah or some other Day of Remembrance. Still, what about the rest of the year? A good monument has a job to do, and it should be on the job full time. It's not like a tuxedo or fancy dress only taken out once a year for the Opera.

Some artist friends of mine - including some who have made monuments - have said to me that their work should not be labeled, or constricted by one interpretation. I have no problem with that, the work can be interpreted in any way, or in many ways. But the event it purportedly commemorates is not open to such interpretation. In an age of Holocaust Denial we cannot allow that. Some specifics - the what, who, how and when need to be stated, and stately unequivocally.

I hope that the Museum of Jewish Culture in Bratislava will take heed, and take action. Put up a sign, a plaque, something informative to help people remember.

Ruth Ellen Gruber's JTA column about our friend Maros Borsky:

Ruth Ellen Gruber's JTA column about our friend Maros Borsky:

In Slovakia, being strategic about preserving Jewish heritage

By Ruth Ellen Gruber · August 28, 2011

Maros Borsky, vice president of the Bratislava Jewish community, standing in the Orthodox synagogue in Zilina, Slovakia. The shul is one of the sites on his Slovak Jewish Heritage Route. (Ruth Elen Gruber)

RUTHLESS COSMOPOLITAN

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (JTA) -- In 1989, on the eve of the fall of communism, the American poet Jerome Rothenberg published a powerful series of poems called "Khurbn" that dealt with the impact of the Holocaust on Eastern Europe.

In one section, he recorded conversations he had had in Poland with local people who had little recollection of the flourishing pre-war Jewish presence.

"Were there once Jews here?" the poem goes. "Yes, they told us, yes they were sure there were, though there was no one here who could remember. What was a Jew like? they asked.

"No one is certain still if they exist."

I often think of this poem when I travel to far-flung places in Eastern and Central Europe, and it was certainly on my mind on a trip to Slovakia this August.


That's because yes, there are still Jews here, and the post-Communist revival has reinvigorated Jewish communities in the region.


But also, despite this, numbers are still so small that even in many places where Jews once made up large parts of the population, Jewish history and heritage have been, or run the risk of being, forgotten.


"Look," my friend Maros Borsky reminded me in Bratislava. "Kids who were born after 1989 don't even remember communism."

Borsky is trying to do something about this -- which is why I was in Slovakia.


Read the entire story here.

Slovakia: This Summer Travel the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route

Trencin, Slovakia. Former Synagogue (now art gallery). Photos: Samuel Gruber (2005) click here for more information

Slovakia: This Summer Travel the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route

Summer is here, and thousands - maybe tens of thousands - of tourists will go in hunt of Jewish sites in Europe. Twenty years after the fall of Communism and the opening of Central and Eastern Europe to visitors there is no slowdown in the number of individuals and groups on art, roots or religious pilgrimage to the former Jewish centers. Most visitors still make their way to the big four cities - Warsaw, Krakow, Prague and Budapest. But as readers of this blog know, there is much more of Jewish and, I think, general interest once one breaks from that standard itinerary.

Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia. Former Synagogue. Photo courtesy of Slovak Jewish Heritage Center. For more information click here.

This summer consider visiting Slovakia, a beautiful country of stunning scenery, historic towns and a wealth of fascinating Jewish sites. Centrally located, Slovakia contains cultural elements related to Poland to the north, Ukraine to the East, Hungary to the South and German and Czech speaking cultures to the West. For the past several years the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center in Bratislava under the leadership of Dr. Maros Borsky has worked with local Jewish communities and government agencies to put together a Slovak Jewish Heritage Route through the country. now, you can read about the route and get details on all the historic synagogues included.

The full publication about the route can be read on line or downloaded here.

The route includes Jewish heritage sites in Bratislava, Stupava, Malacky, Trnava, Šamorín, Sereď, Nitra, Komárno, Nové Zámky, Šurany, Šahy, Trenčín, Banská Štiavnica, Zvolen, Žilina, Liptovský Mikuláš, Košice, Spišská Nová Ves, Prešov, Spišské Podhradie, Bardejov.

Malacky, Slovakia. Former Synagogue (now an art school). Wilhelm Stiassny, arch. (1886). Photo courtesy of Slovak Jewish Heritage Center For more information click here.

Some of these buildings are still active synagogues, a few like Nitra, have been turned into Jewish museums and Holocaust memorials. Some buildings like Šamorín are art galleries, and others, such as Stupava are still empty or in restoration.

Most of these buildings are situated in interesting towns, and there are other Jewish sites- especially cemeteries - in close proximity. One can begin the trip in Bratislava - less than a hour from Vienna, and then head east. Travel by car is recommended, but backpackers could make use of trains and buses. Travel information is available on the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center website.

For armchair travelers, the Heritage Center maintains an online monuments database that can be consulted here.

Slovakia: Refurbished Chapel in Bratislava New Orthodox Cemetery; An Important Modernist Work by Interwar Jewish Architects

Slovakia: Refurbished Chapel in Bratislava New Orthodox Cemetery; An Important Modernist Work by Interwar Jewish Architects

(ISJM) Dr. Maros Borsky, of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center, sends the following information:

The Jewish Community of Bratislava completed another stage of the New Orthodox cemetery chapel restoration. The precious building of the cemetery chapel constructed in 1929 has now fully refurbished interiors in the original coloring. Designed by two Jewish architects who perished in the Holocaust, Fridrich Weinwurm and Ignac Vecsei, the building is an important milestone in the modern Slovak architecture. The site is still used for the original purpose. The site owner expects the major restoration stage, when the exterior and surroundings will be refurbished, to be carried out in 2010. The Slovak Jewish Heritage Center will be happy to match any interested donor to the project with the Jewish Community office.

To see a photo go to:
http://www.slovak-jewish-heritage.org/news.html

Slovakia: Jewish Heritage Route Now On-Line

Samorin, Slovakia. Two views of the former synagogue, now listed on the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route. Photos: Samuel D. Gruber, 2009.

Slovakia: Jewish Heritage Route Now On-Line
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) Maros Borsky reports from the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center in Bratislava that more information on the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route is now available on-line.

This includes an interactive map of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route, presentation of Dr. Borsky's book on the synagogues of Slovakia, and the integration of the site's older webdatabase about Slovak Jewish heritage.

A special feature highlights an "event of the month." This month's report is that Slovak Jewish Heritage will be presented at the Donumenta festival in Regensburg, Germany, an annual cultural festival organized in the Bavarian city that every year presents another country from the Danube Region. This year the festival is dedicated to Slovakia and the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center is included with a photographic exhibition of Jewish monuments in Slovakia. The exhibition is the first opportunity for the German public to learn about Jewish heritage in Slovakia.

According to Borsky,"The Slovak Jewish Heritage Route is a complex project that includes research, educational and promotional activities. It is aimed at advocating preservation of Jewish heritage in Slovakia as well as sustaining this attitude. These activities are to a great extend based on the results of the Synagoga Slovaca documentation project of synagogues, conducted in 2001-2006. The outcome of the survey (architectural plans, photographs, descriptions) is used to create an audience for Jewish culture in Slovakia, shape cultural policies and contribute towards improved site management. Within the framework of project we provide guidance and advice to the owners of synagogues and Jewish heritage sites in Slovakia. Managing the European Day of Jewish Culture and the European Routes of Jewish Heritage in Slovakia is a core activity of the project."

Some of the synagogues on the Heritage route, such as the grand nine-bay synagogue of Stupava, have been previously featured on this blog.

Slovakia: Imagining a Better Future for the Peter Behrens-designed (former) Synagogue of Žilina

Slovakia: Imagining a Better Future for the Peter Behrens-designed (former) Synagogue of Žilina

by Samuel D. Gruber 

At the Bratislava seminar on historic Jewish properties held in March I got to know Palo Frankl, head of the small Jewish community of Žilina, Slovakia (Hungarian: Zsolna, German: Sillein). Naturally, we got to talking about the synagogues of Žilina. There are two – a modest synagogue still in use that also houses a small museum - and the better known former Neolog Synagogue designed by famed German modernist Peter Behrens (1868-1940), which is owned by the community, but has housed a cinema for many years. The Behrens synagogue is one of the best known in Slovakia – it is featured in Carol Herselle Krinsky’s Synagogues of Europe, and has been mentioned in many articles (including a few of my own).

Ironically and tragically, it only served as a synagogue for a decade. Built in 1928-31 to replace a synagogue built c. 1880, the new structure followed a design by Peter Behren‘s and its construction was supervised by Zigo Wertheimer. Its religious function, however, ended with the deportation of Žilina’s Jews beginning in 1942 (Žilina was also a transit point for Jews deported form other areas). 

According to architectural historian Maros Borsky, director of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center, ”the community conducted an international competition which attracted important architects of the time, including Josef Hoffmann from Vienna and Lipót Baumhorn from Budapest,” before settling on Behrens. 

Palo Frankl knows the history of the building and its architectural significance. He’d like to return the building to its original form, and to find some appropriate function for it. Finding a use is not easy nor is finding the funding to restore the building. Mr. Frankl would like to see the building continue to be rented for income for the next several years in the hope that rental income could help fund a design process leading to restoration and some appropriate reuse.  To my mind, keeping it as an income-producing cinema for the time being is probably as good a use as any. I have seen too many instances of Jewish communities rushing to oust a tenant in the hopes of new use, but resulting in a long abandonment of a building, leading to deterioration. Frankl was adamant that any new use of the building should not negatively affect its historic features - and this immediate has ruled out several suggested uses for the prominent site. 

I visited the synagogue two years ago. The exterior is essentially intact. The ground floor is faced in rough rectangular stones, laid almost like field stone. The rest of the structure is of reinforced concrete, and a series of narrow vertical windows pierce the upper level. Despite the use of concrete, the building looks traditional due to its massing, and the monumental stairway that leads to the main entrance. Nothing about the building’s architecture identifies it as a synagogue. Applied Stars of David set on each exterior corner originally served this purpose. Parts of the exterior have been covered with new unsightly painted cement, and all the stonework needs to be pointed and cleaned. But its original form remains clear. The building was, in many ways, a stripped down version of the Byzantine domed synagogue popular in Hungary and the Balkans. Behrens’ design set a half dome on a rectangular block, but it is a low dome visible more from a distance than close up. Within, the dome rose on slender concrete piers from a square, set within the rectangular mass. Today, most of the interior has been covered over with new walls, partitions and materials. Still, in the main hall – now used for films – one can see some of the original structure, though the dome is entirely obscured. It is hard to know what original elements are still hidden.

I suggested to Palo that we investigate putting together some sort of international committee to consider the future of the building. As an icon of modern synagogue design, the building deserves a better fate. This can be a slow process, since as long as it is occupied the building is reasonably well maintained. According to Borsky, there are several other urgent and ongoing Jewish heritage projects in Slovakia that are competing for limited support. To me, the best hope for the Behren's synagogue is to reach outside the normal (Jewish) funding circles and to involve groups dedicated to protecting and preserving the legacy of modernism.

Readers interested in participating in this project should contact me directly.

Slovakia: Grand 9-Bay Plan Stupava Synagogue gets a Facelift

Slovakia: Stupava Synagogue Gets a Facelift (and More)
by Samuel D. Gruber



(ISJM) Participants in the recent Bratislava Seminar on Care, Conservation and Maintenance of Historic Jewish Properties were treated to a visit to the grand early 19th century synagogue of Stupava (German: Stampfen; Hungarian: Stomfa), which after decades of neglect and ruin has receive a facelift thanks to the efforts of preservationist Tomas Stern, a member of the Board of the nearby-Bratislava Jewish Community (who is also a plastic surgeon).

According to Maros Borsky, Director of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center, who organized the visit: "The synagogue was built in 1803 by a prominent Jewish Community of the pre-emancipation period that resided in a serf-town belonging to the Counts Palffy, of Stupava. From the architectural standpoint, the synagogue belongs to the most precious Jewish heritage sites in Slovakia, one of two last extant nine-bay synagogues. There has been no Jewish community in Stupava since the Second World War and the synagogue passed through various private ownerships, an eventually was in total disrepair. In the early 2000s, the synagogue was acquired by the NGO Jewrope, associated with Dr. Tomas Stern, a Bratislava-based businessman and board member of the Bratislava Jewish Community. Jewrope and Dr. Stern have managed to save the building from collapse by stabilizing the structure, replacing the roof and complete restoration of exteriors. The next planned restoration stage includes interior works, planned to be completed within next three years. The synagogue will serve then as a central archive and book storage of the Slovak Jewish community. A small exhibition of the local Jewish history is foreseen."

As an aside, I am happy to say that ISJM recognized Dr. Stern's dedication many years ago when he was still a medical student - whose weekend passion was the search for abandoned synagogues in Slovakia, which he photographed. Jewrope plans to create in the main space of the synagogue a permanent exhibition about the Jewish history of Stupava, as well as cultural and social space to serve the needs of the general public and the Jewish community.

So far, the project has received support from Jewrope, the Culture Ministry of Slovakia, The Slovak Gas Industry grant scheme, and the World Monuments Fund. Dr. Borsky and Dr. Stern arranged for the building to be included on the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route.

As the attached photos indicate, not much of the original decor of the synagogue remains, but the spas are all intact. Discussions are ongoing about what level of conservation and restoration to apply to the interior walls. Traces of at least two phases of painting can be seen - but the most plentiful and visible decorative patters probably date from the late 19th or early twentieth century. The photos also show numerous examples of old and new temporary patching used to consolidate plasterwork. These will obviously be replaced or improved upon in the final project.

The most ambitious part of the plan is to create a Jewish archive in the upper story of the building, above the vaults but under the capacious roof. This would depend on the creation of a self-supporting structure and the addition of an exterior entrance way for access and safety. Jewrope is working with architects and engineers on these plans which, in the end, will be dependent on technological feasibility (likely) and cost (still unknown).

Meanwhile, the Jewish Community of Bratislava and the town of Stupava are negotiating trying to resolve property ownership claims. The building was sold to a private individual before the restitution process began. Jewrope now owns and building, but not the land on which it sits. Resolution of land ownership needs to be completed before any large investment in infrastructure can begin for the synagogue - no matter what its future use. Dr. Stern, who rose from a sickbed to greet the seminar participants, is committed to getting the project done, and the Bratislava Community supports the effort. In time, Stupava may become again an important Jewish culture center.

Contributions can be sent to Jewrope, at Karpatská 8, 811 05 Bratislava, tel.: 02/52 45 11 12, 0905 600 873, or by contacting ISJM.

Conference: Bratislava Seminar on Jewish Heritage Properties a Success

Conference: Bratislava Seminar on Jewish Heritage Properties a Success
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) Last week I had the privilege of co-chairing an international seminar in Bratislava devoted to the care, conservation and maintenance of Jewish heritage properties – particularly those which belong to Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe. The conference was sponsored by the World Monuments Fund, the Rothschild Foundation (Europe), the Cahnman Foundation and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). The organization of the event fell mostly to Maros Borsky of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center, Herbert Block of the JDC, and to me, representing the International Survey of Jewish Monuments (ISJM). I can’t thank my colleagues enough for all the hard work they did to bring about this successful and important event. Unlike the larger Future of Jewish Heritage in Europe Conference held in Prague in 2004, and sponsored by many of the same foundations, this event was unique in bringing Jewish community representatives responsible for property management of planning and decisions together for the first time. It was not a gathering historians and architects, but of community leaders.

To my knowledge it was the first such event for communities devoted solely to Jewish heritage issues. Fittingly, it was held at the Jewish Community Center in Bratislava, hosted by the Bratislava Jewish Community, the members of which were extraordinarily welcoming and helpful to our group. We were thrilled to inaugurate the new meeting hall at the Center (painting was just finished before our arrival), which perfectly suited our needs. The Bratislava Community provided the kosher meals for the entire seminar group and guests (and the Center's chef is great. the food was delicious). Thanks to Bratislava Rabbi Baruch Myers for overseeing kashrut, and also for begin such a welcoming host.

I will be writing more about the seminar in the coming weeks, which gathered representatives of Jewish communities in 15 countries, from the Baltic countries to the Balkans, and also included representation from Belarus and Ukraine. An important statement of principals was drafted at the final session of the seminar, and this will be released shortly when a few final changes are made. While to many readers of this blog the statement might seem to reiterate the obvious, as we all know what is obvious in the world of Jewish heritage protection, preservation and presentation is not always what is real.

Publish Post

You can read a news brief from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency here.

The gathering gave me and the other “experts” and opportunity to exchange information with community representatives, but also to learn the latest in problems and progress regarding Jewish heritage sites in a wide range of political, cultural, religious and economic situations. I will be sharing some of the information on this blog. I also had the occasion to visit before and during the seminar several important preservation projects in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, about which I will report.