The long-derelict 19th century synagogue in Kőszeg, western Hungary, is reopening to the public after a full-scale renovation that took place over the past two years. The synagogue, which is owned by the state, will become a cultural centre but also will be able to be used for religious services.
JHE’s Ruth Ellen Gruber is on the program of its first public event, Sunday August 28-29 — the opening of an exhibition about Philip (Fülöp) Schey (1798-1881), a Jewish philanthropist born in Kőszeg (known in German as Güns), who had grown rich as a textile merchant and later became a banker for the Hapsburgs. In 1859, Emperor Franz Joseph raised Schey to the Hungarian nobility — he was the first Jew to receive this honor and took the title Philip Schey von Koromla.
The exhibit is called “A Kőszeg Success Story: the Schey Family,” and it presents Philip Schey’s family, life and work: his economic and philanthropic activities, as well as his founding of institutions.
It begins at 3 p.m. and is organized by iAsk — the Institute of Advanced Studies in Kőszeg, which has played a role in the restoration of the building.
The opening is part of a two-day series of events, “Synagogue Week in Kőszeg,” including concerts, lectures, guided tours, and book presentations.
Reception and curators’ tour at the newly opening Jewish Museum in the Kaliningrad Synagogue.
The exhibition “Through Koenigsberg with Jewish Eyes” will be presented to the public. The members of the Jewish Congregation have been able to visit the new museum since mid-September.
Dr. Pieter Vlaardingerbroek will present an illustrated talk live from Amsterdam on the architecture and interior of the 1675 Portuguese Synagogue (the Esnoga) in Amsterdam and the synagogue’s direct influence on the architecture of the 1763 Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island.
Pieter Vlaardingerbroek, Ph.D., is a leading expert on Dutch architecture and material culture. He is an architectural historian for the City of Amsterdam, having served in a similar position for the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. He is an Assistant Professor of Architectural History and Conservation at the University of Utrecht. Professor Vlaardingerbroek is the author of many articles and books and served as editor for the definitive volume on the Portuguese Sephardic synagogue, The Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, published by the City of Amsterdam in 2013.
There is no fee to participate, but reservations are required to receive the Zoom login information.
The annual “Open Jewish Houses/Houses of Resistance” commemorative program takes place in a score of towns and cities around the Netherlands.
Storytellers, visitors and residents share stories in houses where Jews or members of the resistance lived and worked before, during and just after the Second World War.
The Centre for Religion and Heritage of the University of Groningen will host a half-day public symposium to launch the Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Heritage in Contemporary Europe. This event will also inaugurate a new European project on minority religious heritage.
The event takes place in person and also online. Click HERE to register
The organizers state:
The Handbook provides a state-of-the-art guide by leading international scholars, policy makers and heritage practitioners. With 46 chapters, we cannot address all the contributions, thus we have chosen to concentrate on those which examine how religious communities are using their rich heritage to make new meanings for themselves in Europe. Our focus will be on Jewish, Muslim and Christian heritage. We want to think together about the challenges facing these communities, as they grapple with being Jewish or Muslim minorities in a historically Christian landscape, or with being a minority of practicing Christians in the highly secularized society, such as that of Northern Netherlands. Reflecting on these questions together with our Handbook authors will aid the start of a new project in the Erasmus Plus program called European Pathways to Minority Religious Heritage (Miretage). Over three years we are exploring how minority religious heritage can be taught as a co-creative activity between heritage institutions, creative organizations and minority communities. On hand to participate in the symposium are partners from Storytelling Center Amsterdam, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Moslim Archief Rotterdam, KU Leuven, Future for Religious
Click here to see the program for the January 23 event
The book “Slovak Synagogues on Old Postcards” will be launched in Bratislava.
The book includes more than 270 old postcards of Jewish places of worship.
Opposite each postcard is a brief history of the Jewish community and synagogue of a particular city or village.
The book is written in English and Slovak. Historical settlement names appear in both Hungarian and German.
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If you plan to attend the launch, please confirm your arrival to the contacts in the booking as the number of places is limited.
You can buy the publication directly on the spot, or ordered via the following email address:
jdesbook@gmail.com
In the context of Museum Night in Budapest, several synagogues and other Jewish heritage sites will be open to tourists, offering a variety of programs.
There will be events at the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives, the Dohány Street Synagogue complex and square outside, and the Rumbach Synagogue. Programs will start at 9:50 PM with the Havdalah celebration at the Dohány Street Synagogue. There will be guided tours, talks, exhibits and a big outdoor concert — Shalom Jerusalem — in the square outside the synagogue.
At the Rumbach Street Synagogue there will be “musical walks” from the synagogue courtyard to the rabbi’s residence, accompanied by classical music and accordion.
There will also be various events at the EMIH (Chabad) Synagogues in Óbuda, Ujbuda, and Vasvari Pal st; the Zsilip Jewish center, the Budavar synagogue, and the Jewish Prayer House in Szentendre.
For more information, visit — use the drop down menu. Some info is in English and some in Hungarian: https://muzej.hu/en/
On July 8-26, an international archaeologists team is coming back to the excavations of the Vilna Great Synagogue and invites you to guided tours to see the results of their work – the ruins of the Synagogue and artifacts revealing the religious and everyday life of Vilnius Jews.
Excavations and guided tours will take place on July 8-26.
- Address: 4 Zydu street, Vilnius, 01131, Lithuania.
- You can choose your date and time slot.
- Language of the guided tour: Lithuanian, English, or Hebrew.
- Size of a group: 15-20 persons.
- Duration: 45 minutes.
- Price: 20 EUR / 1 person.
The 26th annual Jewish Culture Festival in Budapest.
Main venues are the synagogues on Dohány Street, Hegedűs Gyula Street, Frankel Leó Street, and Rumbach Street, the Golem theatre, and the Balint Haz JCC.
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