Ukraine: New Developments in Jewish Quarter in L'viv

Ukraine: New Developments in Jewish Quarter in L'viv
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) It is period of uncertainty for the future of the Jewish quarter of L'viv, Ukraine, as properties in and around the historic district become available for new development, including lots adjacent to the site of the 16th century Golden Rose Synagogue. So, last week in L'viv, protagonists involved in the planning and development of the future of the city's historic Jewish neighborhood (part of the larger historic center which is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site) gathered together for a "roundtable" discussion sponsored by .The Center for Urban History of East Central Europe (see: http://www.lvivcenter.org/). Part of the regular Kolo Lvova series, last month's topic was "Around Staroevreiska Street: At the Heart of Lviv's Jewish Heritage," and drew about 20 people, most of whom are in some way stakeholders in the future of the area. This discussion was seen as an important step forward for a area with a contested history, and where there has been a lack of clear process in planning efforts.

Later this fall (October 29-31) The Center for Urban History will also host an exhibition about historic Jewish L'viv (also known as Polish Lvov and Austrian Lemberg) and an international conference "Urban Jewish Heritage and History in East Central Europe."

Participants in last week's discussion included a representative of the city administration; Jewish activist Meylakh Shekhet, who heads the "Yevreiske Vidrodzhennia" (Jewish Revival & Rekindling the Jewish Flame), a Jewish cultural organization housed in premises adjacent to the historic Golden Rose (or TaZ) Synagogue; and Yuri Lukomski, the local archaeologist now at work excavating lots in the area. There were also several writers, artists, and museum experts present.

Importantly, the meeting also drew the local developer who recently purchased a property north of the former synagogue with the intent of constructing a hotel. That project and its impact on the
archaeological record and on the overall appearance of the neighborhood has been the cause of great concern. It is hoped that public interest – locally and internationally – in the fate of the
district will convince the developer to cooperate with local historians, archaeologists and preservationists to create a project appropriate for the location.

The Center for Urban History provides a "neutral" space in L'viv where complex and often conflicting attitudes towards the city and its history can be explored. While there was no specific goal for the discussion, and no specific results came of it, the organizers and participants believe it is an important stage in developing a consistent and open process. . Tarik Amar, Academic Director of the Center, reports that there are plans to form a group of those interested in Jewish heritage to continue these discussions.

I will be reporting more about Jewish L'viv in upcoming posts.

Europe: September 7th set for European Day of Jewish Culture

Visitors to Jewish sites in Florence, Italy on European Day of Jewish Culture, 2003
photos: Samuel D. Gruber

Europe: September 7th set for European Day of Jewish Culture

(ISJM) This year’s European Day of Jewish Culture has been set for September 7, 2008. The day is a celebration of Jewish heritage sites and culture across Europe and is now observed in 30 countries. Developed following a program in Alsace that arranged for dozens of usually inaccessible synagogues, former synagogues and cemeteries to be open to the public, the Day of Jewish Culture now includes almost every conceivable type of cultural event including lectures, concerts, tours, and seminars. But access to Jewish sties for a wide (and mostly local public) and instruction about them remains at the heart of the celebration.

This year, the theme is “Testimonies”, chosen to highlight the cultural “imprint” left by the Jews wherever they have lived in Europe. Thus, the Cultural Day unites those places which retain active Jewish communities and those Jewish spaces without Jews.

Participating countries include Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom. In past years throughout Europe as many as 1,000 volunteers joined to organize and coordinate events.

The official program for the day is posted as it is developed, at www.jewisheritage.org

Each country arranges its day differently. For some, it is the only time that certain places are open. Elsewhere, the Day is used to draw attention to otherwise little-known sites that are now accessible year-round.

Since 2004, the event has being co-organized by B’nai B’rith Europe, the European Council of Jewish Communities and Red de Juderías de España. For more information: www.jewisheritage.org; details of the events online from June 2007 onwards.

Poland: Wroclaw’s White Stork Synagogue Restoration Continues, Neo-Classical Façade (1829) by Carl Ferdinand Langhans now Complete

Poland: Wroclaw’s White Stork Synagogue Restoration Continues,

Neo-Classical Façade (1829) by Carl Ferdinand Langhans now Complete

by Samuel D. Gruber

The on-gain, off-again restoration of the White Stork Synagogue in Wrocław, Poland (formely Breslau, Germany) is nearing completion. The historic is the center of the local Jewish community. It was returned to the Jewish community in the 1990s, and was on the first Jewish heritage projects in Poland to receive substantial funding from Germany. But after initial building stabilization work and interior restoration, the project slowed. Now, ISJM member Ruth Ellen Gruber reports that work is continuing at a faster pace thanks in part to efforts of the Norwegian Jewish singer Bente Kahan and the Bente Kahan Foundation, established in 2006. Restoration of the impressive synagogue and the Aron ha-Kodesh (ark) are almost complete.

The three-story neoclassical building was designed by Carl Ferdinand Langhans (1781-1869), and opened in 1829. Langhans was one of the foremost 19^th century architects in Silesia, and one of Germany’s foremost theater designers. In Wroclaw he also designed the city's Actors’ Guild Theater and Opera House. The painter Raphael Biow (1771-1836) and his son Hermann (1804-1850) were responsible for the interior decoration (most of which is now lost)

The synagogue has a main prayer hall surrounded on three sides by galleries for women. There are two levels of galleries to the north and south and a single gallery on the east (ark) wall. The wood frame of the Aron ha-kodesh and the damaged tablets of the Ten Commandments are all that remain of the original religious features.

The synagogue remained in use until 1974 when the authorities expropriated it from the community and gave it to the University of Wrocław for use as a library. In 1989, the University then transferred the building to the Musical Academy, from which a private firm purchased it in 1995. It was returned to the Jewish community and has undergone intermittent restoration for the past decade.

In addition to raising funds and coordinating restoration efforts, the Foundation sponsors weekly concerts in the synagogue during the summer. Bente Kahan told Ruth Gruber that enough funds have been raised to complete the restoration by 2010. According to Gruber” she's managed to do this by making her foundation a "neutral, non-profit organization" that, because of its neutrality, can navigate the sometimes treacherous waters between the municipality and the Jewish community.

After restoration, the synagogue will include a Jewish Museum devoted to the history of the Jews of Wroclaw According to its website, the "Wroclaw Center for Jewish Culture and Education,” situated in the Synagogue and administrated by FBK, “organizes cultural and educational events year around, serving as a house for learning and culture, a place for tolerance and understanding.”

For photo galleries of the synagogue and recent restoration works see: http://www.fbk.org.pl/synagogue.php?lang=en

For Ruth Ellen Gruber’s Jewish Heritage Travel blog see:

http://jewish-heritage-travel.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

USA: Wooden Synagogue of America’ s Old West (Leadville, Colorado) Rises Again

USA: Wooden Synagogue of America’ Old West (Leadville, Colorado) Rises Again

The rebuilding of one of the oldest synagogue buildings in the American West is nearing completion, after a 16-year effort. The small wood Temple Israel in the former mining center of Leadville, Colorado, is in its fourth and final phase of restoration thanks to a new grant from the Colorado State Historical Fund. Photos of the most recent construction work – in which the roof and interior were substantially recreated, have just been posted on-line. See: http://www.jewishleadville.org/buildingphase02.html

The small synagogue, marked by it two-towered façade, was designed by local architect George Edward King and dedicated in 1884 when Leadville was Colorado's second largest city. Leadville's Jews included the Guggenheim family and David May, founder the May Department Stores. The synagogue was an elegant structure outfitted with crystal chandeliers, stained-glass windows and a finely designed ark. The congregation struggled through the decline of the town's mining industry which began in the 1890, and finally was forced to close in 1930. After the building was sold in 1937, it was used briefly as a single-family residence and as a church vicarage, and finally as an apartment house. “Restoration,” has really meant a top to bottom rebuilding of almost all elements, especially after an electrical fire in 2006 gutted the rear part of the structure. Long Hoeft Architects of Georgetown, Colorado have tried to replicate as closely as possible the originally forms of the building using a mix of the same materials, and new materials required to meet modern safety requirements and which can accommodate the installation of modern electric and other mechanical systems.

The Temple Israel Foundation was incorporated in April, 1987, "to acquire, historically rehabilitate, and maintain" the Temple Israel building and to research the history of the Jewish community in Leadville. In October, 1992, the Foundation purchased the Temple Israel building. Beginning in 1994 with the receipt of a matching grant from the Colorado State Historical Fund, the Temple Israel Foundation pursued the authentic restoration of the Temple Israel building. This first grant funded preliminary drawings and an assessment by Long Hoeft Architects of Georgetown, Colorado. A second matching grant was given in January 2001 and significant funding was also contributed by Miriam K. Rothenberg and the May Department Stores. Work on the restoration of the façade was completed in October, 2001. The Foundation received a third grant from the Colorado State Historical Fund in February, 2007, and for the reconstruction of the synagogue itself. After more than a year of work, the interior structure and wall decoration should be completed this summer.

According to Bill Korn, President of the Temple Israel Foundation, the former Temple will be open for limited use as a museum (of the Jewish experience in the industrializing West) this fall. It will also be available for use as a synagogue, when needed.

For more information about the restoration or to visit email for the Temple Israel Foundation at: longled@longled.cnc.net