(JHE) — Mazel tov to the synagogue of Schirmeck, in the Bas-Rhin department of Alsace, which is one of the 10 recipients of the “Committed to Heritage” award, presented by the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion and Relations with Local Authorities, the Ministry of Culture and the Foundation for Heritage.
The synagogue, built in around 1909 and currently under restoration, was awarded in the Religious Heritage category, one of four categories of the prize. The others are Urban Development and Public Facilities; Economic and Tourist Activities; and Cultural Places.
“The ambition of this prize is to promote the commitment of local elected officials in favor of heritage projects, carriers of cohesion and revitalization of rural territories,” a press release from the Ministry of Culture said. Each selected project “will benefit from a contribution of €100,000,” it said.
The awards were aimed at recognizing heritage projects in small towns — municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.
Other criteria, the Ministry announcement said, were:
- A sustained commitment of the town hall and elected officials in favor of heritage or territorial projects including heritage;
- A desire to make heritage a lever for attractiveness and development, particularly within the framework of the initiatives undertaken as the Small Towns of Tomorrow.
Designed by the architects David Falk et Émile Wolf, the Schirmeck synagogue was devastated by the Nazis but is one of the only synagogues in Alsace to have survived World War II largely intact. It was in at least sporadic use until 1978. Now owned by the municipality, it was listed as a historic monument in 1999 but stood abandoned for many years.
Its exterior was renovated in 2007. The Foundation for Heritage is now targeting it as a current project for restoration of its interior, saying that “the paintings are peeling, and the floors and furniture face humidity problems.”
A civic association, the Friends of the Synagogue of Schirmeck-La Broque was founded in 2016 with the aim of restoring the interior of the building, preserving the furnishings and organising cultural events there. Both the Association and the Foundation are fund-raising for the restoration work.
The synagogue is located not far from the WW2 Natzwiller-Struthof concentration camp and the internment camp of Schirmeck-La Broque. The Association wants to mount a permanent exhibition about the Schirmeck-La Broque camp in the synagogue.
Watch a video from 2015 about the synagogue.
Read the full press release and see the list of other winners