The Heritage Property Department of Oradea, in western Romania near the border with Hungary, is set to take over the management of the disused Primariei (Teleki) Street (Hinech Neoral) orthodox synagogue, in a move that — it is hoped — will speed the building’s renovation and transformation into a museum of local Jewish history.
The move was taken at a City Council meeting July 28.
The building, constructed in the late 1920s and designed by the architect Istvan Pinter, is the last to have been built of the six synagogues in Oradea that still stand today. After the Holocaust, it was long used as a vegetable warehouse.
It is owned by the local Jewish community, and discussions have been ongoing for years about converting it into a Jewish museum or learning/cultural center.
The Jewish community announced earlier in July that it had terminated an agreement made in 2010 with the Cris County Museum, which had resulted in detailed plans drawn up for such a museum and some work done on the building. But, according to a statement by City Hall, funds were not sufficient for completion of the project.
The magnificent Zion Synagogue, a towering landmark on the bank of the Cris river in the city center that served the Neolog community, was rededicated last year after a full restoration and now serves as a cultural center.
The Jewish community uses two synagogues that stand in the community compound. The Great Synagogue has also undergone recent restoration.
See July 28 statement from City Hall
See an article in the local media about the move