Tranzit House, the contemporary arts association based in the former Poalei Tzedek synagogue in Cluj, is carrying out a longterm project to restore the building and has posted on its Facebook page a photo documentation of the recently completed restoration of the western facade.
Built in the early 20th century, the synagogue was used for worship until 1974 and then served as a warehouse. It has housed Tranzit House, which leased it from the Jewish community, since 1997. The sanctuary, where performances and events take place, is noted for its ceiling murals depicting a starry sky and the four animals in the enjoinder in the Pirkei Avot, or Ethics of the Fathers: “Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, fleet as a deer and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven.”
The restoration, Tranzit House said, included the “rescue and preservation of the original decorative elements, as well as the creation of a new door surround based on the study and measurement of the originals, and the distinctive integration of the pieces that have withstood the test of time.”
It entailed the “rendering and finishing of the extensively eroded sections, as well as the manual reconstruction of the building’s fronton and columns […] New galvanized sheet metal now protects the gable.”
The facade was then repainted with the colorful mural by Cosmin Pop and Vera Weisgerber originally painted in 2003 that became emblematic for the Tranzit House project.
In addition to the facade, it said, rainwater drainage system was restored and the courtyard was refurbished with new furniture.
“The restoration of the west façade is part of a broader and ongoing effort to ensure the physical well-being of the space — an extensive and complex process initiated back in 1997 and subsequently assumed and sustained by the Tranzit Foundation as part of its long-term commitment to the space,” it said.
It added:
We are deeply honoured by the recognition and validation offered by the Jewish Community of Cluj and the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania. Through their presidents, Mr Dorel Ornescu and Mr Silviu Vexler, these institutions continue to give us confidence in the importance and continuity of the Tranzit House project!
Read the Facebook post and see the photo documentation of the restoration