Symposium on Architecture of Percival Goodman and Temple Beth El (Springfield, MA)

 Springfield, MA. Temple Beth El. Facade seen from Dickenson St, with Ibram Lassaw's "Pillar of Fire." Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2011.

 Springfield, MA. Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2012.

Symposium on Architecture of Percival Goodman October 27th at Temple Beth El, Springfield (Massachusetts) 
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) As part of its centennial celebration, Temple Beth El in Springfield, Massachusetts  has organized a half day symposium about the architectural legacy of Percival Goodman and the art and architecture of Temple Beth El.  The synagogue is Western Massachusetts’ largest Conservative Jewish congregation.

The event, scheduled for Sunday, October 27 at 1:30 p.m. at the synagogue, 979 Dickinson Street, Springfield, will feature a tour of the building and its art, a panel discussion led by several noteworthy scholars of the art and architecture community, and a wine and cheese reception. 

I am happy to be included as the keynote speaker and I'll be giving an illustrated talk on "Percival Goodman, Temple Beth El and the Modern Synagogue."

Afterward, I'll be join in a panel moderated by Rabbi Amy Wallk Katz with P. Scott Cohen, Chair and Professor of Architecture at Harvard University, and designer of the Tel Aviv Museum and Suzanne O'Keefe, AIA, who was a student and colleague of Percival Goodman at Columbia University, and a longtime family friend.

The event is free and open to the public, however, reservations are required. Please call the Temple Office at 413-733-4149, or e-mail office@tbespringfield.org. 

Springfield, MA. Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. The windows connect with outdoor nature.  Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2012.

Goodman built Beth El twice - first in 1953, and then again in the mid-1960s,  after a fire devastated the first building in October 1965.  These two dates bracket Goodman's most productive and innovative work as a synagogue designer. From the late 1940s through the 1970s Goodman was the most prolific and most respected American synagogue architect.  His influence on Jewish and all religious art and architecture has been felt worldwide (for example, in the work of German architect Alfred Jacoby).  Now, a half-century after many of his synagogues were first built they are being reconsidered for practical, liturgical, aesthetic and historic reasons. 

Springfield, MA. Temple Beth El. Entrance "portico."  Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2011.

The jury is mixed - most congregations (Providence, Albany, Springfield, Denver, etc.) still love their Goodman buildings and have or are presently engaged in treating them with respect and making sensitive adjustments.  Some others have disparaged Goodman's work wholesale and reject what has now been dubbed "mid-century modernism" as sterile and off-putting on the one hand, or too ostentatious on the other (I've heard both complaints from clergy and congregants). But Goodman's building have fared better than most of the period for several reasons.  Though innovative in theor often-expressive architectural design, Goodman's synagogues have a reputation for working well for congregations.  As worship spaces and as larger functioning community complexes they are flexible and relatively easy to adjust as needs change.   His sanctuaries - when kept clean and bright -can provide both inspiration and delight.  Most are shaped in a way to enfold the congregation, thus allowing - with a good leadership - a sense of belonging to a community.  Goodman also was master of using relatively simple and inexpensive building materials and mostly straight-forward construction methods.  The upkeep of these buildings has been more manageable than for some of the more wildly expressive synagogues of the period (yes, I know, Goodman synagogues sometimes have leaky roofs, too).

Goodman was also an active writer about many aspects of community and architectural planning, and a designer of many types of (mostly urban) environments, but he especially  left quite a legacy in synagogue design.  So many aspects now accepted as parts of the modern architectural vocabulary for religious and other public buildings were invented, developed or refined by Goodman - it is hard to begin the list.  On aspect - very noticeable at Springfield - is the inclusion of expressive artwork by modern, mostly abstract, artists (Lassaw, Gottlieb and Motherwell at Springfield).  The Springfield commission was especially important for Ibram Lassaw's career.  It was his first architectural and functional sculpture, and it helped established his reputation in the 1950s when the work was widely shown and publicized.  

At Springfield and other Goodman synagogues (Millburn, Beechwood, St. Paul, etc.), the fate of modern synagogue art has varied; some destroyed, some restored and some compromised by rearrangement or the jarring juxtaposition of new art and architectural elements.  I'll address all these themes - and others - in my talk.

Jewish Monuments and Architecture: New blogs and Facebook Pages

Jewish Monuments and Architecture: New blogs and Facebook Pages
by Samuel D. Gruber

Social media is making the documentation and study of Jewish architecture, cemeteries, monuments, and historic sites much easier more widespread - but harder and harder to keep track of as more and more people ranging from well-meaning (but often mis-informed) enthusiasts to distinguished scholars set up blogs, Facebook and LinkedIn pages and other easy to post and easy to search online resources.  There is great amount of information out there, but it has to be sifted; here are bad, mislabeled and mis-attributed photos, ignorant architectural and historical assessments, and prejudicial opinions.  Still, one can't ignore all this web-based information since the web is where most people are communicating today.  A happy corollary to this amateur web-surge is the appearance of www.academia.edu and other sources for the sharing of more scholarly research.  In a coming post I will highlight some of the international scholarship from specialized publications about Jewish art and monuments that is now accessible in free downloads

I started this blog in 2008 and have posted approximately 800 times with what I try to make content-rich and often new and original material, mixed with my own opinions. This has brought the blog about 300,000 page views.  It is a drop in the bucket to some of viral Youtube hits, but still not bad for a blog on a topic few were interested in when I started tracking Jewish monuments 25 years ago.  

Today, it would be a full time job - or more -  just to track all the information and pictures that are posted about Jewish heritage sites, let alone analyze them for importance or do any new research.  Websites like Jewish-Heritage-Europe.eu are doing a great job collating news from Europe and disseminating in various media (including Facebook).  Jewish-Heritage-Europe.eu was the organizing force behind the conference this past April on Managing Jewish Immovable Property held in Krakow and now fully available on vide via the wedsite.  

The blog Point of No Return, which focuses mostly on the exile and diaspora of Jews from Muslim lands (with a moral and political agenda) also includes much valuable information about this history and present plight of Jewish monuments and sites in the Mizrachi World.  

Surprisingly, there is still no similar mechanism for collecting and posting American news, most of which remains unreported.

Here are some links to some new additions in ever-expanding Jewish monuments cyberspace that might interest my readers. They have much to offer - but as always when using web-based sources, caveat lector.

1. I've long been a big admirer of Louis Davidson's website synagogues360.org.  This summer I had the pleasure to meet Louis when he and his wife came to Syracuse to photograph two architecturally significant synagogues here.  Louis has now started a blog about his work that includes history, methodology, adventure and personal observations on the many synagogues he visits and photographs every year.  Louis - welcome to the blogosphere!  You can follow Louis Davidson here.

2. West Virginia-based synagogue maven Julian H. Priesler has been collecting information about American synagogues for years (decades?).  His massive grab-bag compilation of synagogue images is still the most comprehensive and useful starting point to learn the geographic and architectural variety of the American synagogue experience.  Julian recently published an Arcadia photo-history Jewish West Virginia and he has been working more intensively documenting the scores of former and present synagogues in Pennsylvania.  Julian  regularly posts information and photos from his search on Facebook.

3. For something further afield, you can see scores of images of Romanian synagogues (collected from various sources) at the Facebook page Romanian Endangered Synagogues.  I usually do not promote anonymous websites; I think people should take responsibility for what they write and post. I don't know who maintains this site.  The initiators from Alexandria, Virginia do not announce themselves, merely stating  the "Romanian endangered synagogues is an initiative of a small group of individuals interested in the rehabilitation and preservation of the Romanian Synagogues."  The group tends not to source or date their information or credit their photos - a common abuse on Facebook, Tumbler and other social media sites, including occasionally - though inadvertently - my own).   Still, the plight of Romanian synagogues is very real - and exists for a variety of reasons - and getting out images of these many stately and often beautiful buildings is a good thing.  I hope it will prick the Jewish consciousness and stir some action.   The Jewish world needs to turn the spotlight on this largely forgotten legacy to insure the protection and survival of scores hundreds of important synagogues and cemeteries.  Every little bit helps.  I'll be writing more about Romanian synagogues in the coming months.

Do have other blogs, pages or other sources you'd like to recommend?  Send me your links.

Call for Papers — Jewish Architecture Conference. April 2014

 Braunschweig, Germany. Commemorative plaque installed on site of destroyed Neue Synagoge in 1975 on the 100th anniversary of the synagogue's 1875  dedication. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Call for Papers — Jewish Architecture Conference. April 2014

Bet Tfila – Research Unit for Jewish Architecture in Europe at the Technische Universität Braunschweig and the Center for Jewish Art, Hebrew University of Jerusalem are organizing an important conference in Germany next spring about "Jewish Architecture" with a special emphasis on preservation of historic buildings and sites.  In many ways this a follow-up to highly successful conference "Jewish Architecture in Europe" held in Braunschweig in 2007.  It will also inevitably be a follow-up to the Krakow conference Managing Jewish Immovable Heritage of this past April, though with more of a scholarly than an activist agenda.  The conference will only go forward if funding is secured, but a call for papers is posted here. 

 

  Braunschweig, Germany. New synagogue.  Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

 Architecture – New Sources and Approaches,  April 8-10, 2014

Technische Universität, Braunschweig

Organized by the Bet Tfila – Research Unit for Jewish Architecture in Europe at the Technische Universität Braunschweig and the Center for Jewish Art, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Braunschweig, Germany. Jewish Museum with Ark and bimah from Hornburg Synagogue. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

 Call for Papers

Jewish sacred and secular buildings have been part of the architecture and cityscapes since antiquity; the earliest findings of Jewish settlements and buildings in northern Europe date back to medieval times. During the course of the centuries, a broad range of structures that are essential for Jewish congregational life were constructed: synagogues, mikva’ot, cemeteries, Taharah houses, kosher slaughterhouses, bakeries, etc.
 
The turn from the 19th to the 20th centuries marks the biggest growth of Jewish life in Europe that underwent a fundamental break during the Nazi era. The current generation, like its successors, too, is confronted with the appropriate treatment of the remains, that former Jewish communities inherited. Besides the numerous written and visual sources, the preserved former Jewish buildings themselves call for response to their substance.
 
The Bet Tfila – Research Unit for Jewish Architecture in Europe organizes the interdisciplinary and international conference Jewish Architecture – New Sources and Approaches in order to discuss the effective and upcoming handling of “Jewish architecture” as part of the Jewish visual heritage. The conference will take place at the TU Braunschweig (Germany). On basis of primary sources and case studies, the tangible evidences of Jewish architecture in Germany and Europe will be revealed, analyzed, and put into contrast with the generic European architecture. Focus will be given to the tangible evidence itself and the inherent scope of its possible interpretations. Current activities reveal the utmost urgency of this discussion, in which scholars of various scientific disciplines will present the state of their research as well as new working techniques and methods. Furthermore, trendsetting perspectives for aims and tasks in future research will be developed.
 
The conference will emphasize the documentation and preservation of Jewish monuments and sights as well as their integration and transformation into museums.
 
The following panels are scheduled:

Panel 1: Architecture as primary source

Panel 2: Architect and Architectural Design as Source

Panel 3: Archival Sources on Jewish Architecture

Panel 4: Jewish Architecture in Literature

Panel 5: Jewish Architecture and the Arts

Panel 6: Jewish Architecture as Part of a Museum

Panel 7: Jewish Architecture – Monument and Memorial

 
The conference’s official language will be English. The lectures shall not exceed 20 minutes. The conference will only take place if the necessary funds are granted. In this case, we will reimburse parts of travel expenses for lecturers.

Please send a short abstract (max. 1 page) with additional CV by Monday, October 21, 2013, to info@bet-tfila.org.
 
Bet Tfila – Research Unit for Jewish Architecture in Europe
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Pockelsstr. 4,
38106 Braunschweig/Germany
Tel: +49 (0)531-391 2526,
Fax +49 (0)531-391 2530,
info@bet-tfila.org

France: Restoration Work at Little-Known Bidache Sephardi Cemetery

France: Restoration Work at Little-Known Bidache Sephardi Cemetery
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) The JTA relays a report from the French daily Sud Ouest  that the French municipality of Bidache, not far from the Sephardi center of Bayonne in the far south-east corner of France, has begun renovating an ancient Sephardi cemetery.  The restoration of the 17th-century cemetery began last week.  The first work, funded with an $8,000 allocation from the regional cultural affairs directorate of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques region will focus on a large arch built on the premises. The restoration is being led by the Jewish Liturgical Organization in cooperation with architect Soizic Le Goff, who received the go-ahead from local authorities in June. 

Sephardi Jews who fled from Portugal and Spain settled in the area with permission from the princes who ruled Gramont and an independent principality from 1570 until the French Revolution.  Thus French laws excluding Jews were not in effect in the borderland.  A local researcher says that  members of at least 40 Jewish families are buried  in the cemetery.  In the 1960s Gérard Nahon recorded 62 inscriptions from the cemetery in Inscriptions funéraires hébraïques et juives à Bidache, Labastide-Clairence (B. Pyr.) et Peyrehorade (Landes)(1968), including the family names Dacosta, Henriquez Lopez Nunez, Depas and Alvares.

A photo of the cemetery shows several dozen large flat gravestones lined in even rows typical of Sephardi burials elsewhere in Europe (Amsterdam, Venice).  It is not clear if these are in their original locations atop burials or if they have been arranged as a sort of lapidarium (as has been done in other old cemeteries).  At least some inscriptions are bi-lingual in Hebrew with Roman lettered abbreviations - either in Spanish or Portuguese. 

According to the website of the French Ministry of Culture the cemetery site includes "enclosures with ruined wall and entrance gate arc full-handlebar unit of limestone. The cemetery was used from the second half of the 17th century to the second half of the 18th century, of the dispersion of the Jewish community of Bidache. The cemetery contains hundreds of graves. The inscriptions, which generally include anything else that the name and surname of the deceased and the date of their death, ranged between the 3rd quarter 17th century and 4th quarter 18th century."

To read more about the Jews of Bidache see the article (in French) by Gérard Nahon, "Le registre espagnol des circoncisions de Samuel Gomes Atias (Bidache 1725-1773)",  Bulletin Hispanique, 1974, Volume 76: 1-2,  pp. 142-182,  online here.