Jewish Heritage Europe

Calendar

Aug
25
Wed
Architecture of Devotion – The Plans of Lipót Baumhorn for the Szeged New Synagogue @ Pava utca synagogue
Aug 25 2021 @ 16:30 – Jan 20 2022 @ 16:30

An exhibition presenting the construction history of the Szeged New Synagogue. The opening event is at 16:30 on August 25 (see the picture for the program).

The Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Center (MÉM MDK), in cooperation with the Jewish Community of Szeged and the Holocaust Memorial  Center, is commemorating Lipót Baumhorn and the 120 year-old synagogue in Szeged with an exhibition.

Baumhorn letter with drawing of Szeged synagogue. Photo: Szeged Jewish community/Rediscover

The exhibition on the ground floor of the Páva Street Synagogue, which is part of the Holocaust Memorial Center, focuses on the New Synagogue in Szeged, built between 1900 and 1903. In addition to the construction plans and the documents on the building created at the time of its construction, the sacred textiles made for the inauguration of the synagogue, including the Torah Ark curtain (parochet) and the Torah mantel will also be on display. The Jewish Community of Szeged has had the richly embroidered silk objects restored for this occasion.

Besides these objects, rich photographic material also illustrates the oeuvre of Lipót Baumhorn, who was born 160 years ago. The exhibits will not only present the twenty-six synagogues he designed, but visitors will also be able to see examples of his secular architectural work, as interpreted by the photographer Krisztina Bélavári. The synagogue that houses the exhibition was also designed by Lipót Baumhorn, so he is being commemorated in a worthy setting.

New Synagogue, Szeged

Curator: Ágnes Ivett Oszkó, Ph.D., art historian of the Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Center

Director of the restoration project for the Jewish Community of Szeged: Dóra Pataricza, Ph.D., historian

Professional consultants: Vera Ábrahám, head of the Archives of the Szeged Jewish Community; Dr. Rudolf Klein, Head of Department, University of Óbuda Ybl Miklós Faculty of Architecture; Pál Ritoók, art historian, head of the Museum Department of the Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Center

Apr
7
Thu
“Secrets of the Land” opening @ Regional Museum Chrudim, Czech Republic
Apr 7 @ 17:00 – 19:30
"Secrets of the Land" opening @ Regional Museum Chrudim, Czech Republic | Chrudim | Pardubický kraj | Czechia

Opening of an exhibition (running April 7-June 30, 2022) of objects found in the genizas in former synagogues in eastern Bohemia, with a particular focus on the synagogue in Luze.

The exhibition grows out of a geniza research project initiated by the Prague Jewish Museum in the 1990s.

 

Apr
10
Sun
Reopening Plzen Great Synagogue @ Great Synagogu, Plzen
Apr 10 @ 17:00 – 20:00
Reopening Plzen Great Synagogue @ Great Synagogu, Plzen | Plzeňský kraj | Czechia

The official reopening ceremony of the Great synagogue in Plzen, Czech Republic, following  a three-year restoration of the synagogue interior and nearby Rabbi’s house. A permanent exhibition on Jewish monuments in the Pilsen region will be opened, in the women’s gallery. It is based on the photographs of Radovan Kodera.

A procession  will bring a Torah scroll  from the Old to the Great Synagogue and ceremoniously place it in the ark.

Following will be a ceremonial program with speeches by the Culture Minister, the head of the tiny local Jewish community, and others. A concert will feature compositions inspired by Jewish prayers, adapted for the occasion. 

 

 

 

Aug
28
Sun
Koszeg synagogue opening-exhibit @ Koszeg, Hungary synagogue
Aug 28 @ 15:00 – Aug 29 @ 19:00
Koszeg synagogue opening-exhibit @ Koszeg, Hungary synagogue | Kőszeg | Hungary

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.

Sep
18
Sun
Centennial Nagyfuvaros utca synagogue @ Nagyfuvaros synagogue
Sep 18 @ 17:00 – 19:00
Centennial Nagyfuvaros utca synagogue @ Nagyfuvaros synagogue

A ceremony and reception mark the 100th anniversary of the synagogue on Nagyfuvaros street in Budapest.

 

May
18
Thu
Szeged Synagogue 120th anniversary @ New Synagogue, Szeged
May 18 @ 10:30 – May 19 @ 20:00

A two-day event celebrates the 120th anniversary of the New Synagogue in Szeged, Hungary, the masterpiece of prolific synagogue architect Lipot Baumhorn. The synagogue was inaugurated on May 19, 1903.

There will be a talk about the synagogue’s history and architecture, and that of the Old Synagogue, and also other presentations, including about the noted rabbis Lipot and Immanual Löw, as well as a talk by the Szeged mayor about the synagogue’s role in the city.

 

See the program here:

 

Jun
8
Thu
200th anniversary Kővágóörs synagogue @ Erzsébetváros Jewish History Museum Csanyi 5
Jun 8 @ 18:00 – 19:30
200th anniversary Kővágóörs synagogue @ Erzsébetváros Jewish History Museum Csanyi 5 | Budapest | Hungary

Opening of an exhibition of photographs by Daniella Grinberg to mark the 200th anniversary of the synagogue in the village of Kővágóörs, near the north shore of Hungary’s Lake Balaton.  The exhibit runs until June 30.

Long abandoned and ruined, the synagogue is now under the care of a foundation that purchased the building and is working  to restore it for use as both a synagogue and a cultural center. It already hosts cultural events there.

The Synagogue of Káli-valley Foundation (in Hungarian, Káli-medence Zsinagógája Alapítvány) officially acquired the building in October, 2020 after a year and a half of discussions, from a Canadian businessman of Hungarian origin, who had owned the synagogue since 2013.

 

Aug
11
Fri
Alba Iulia Jewish Cemetery final event @ Marè Yehezkel Synagogue, Alba Iulia
Aug 11 @ 12:30 – 13:30
Alba Iulia Jewish Cemetery final event @ Marè Yehezkel Synagogue, Alba Iulia | Alba Iulia | Județul Alba | Romania

Closing event of the conservation and restoration camps held this year in the Jewish Cemetery of Alba Iolia, as part of the project Conservation and restoration of the monumental funeral stones of the Jewish cemetery in Alba Iulia.

 

Mar
19
Tue
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec
Mar 19 @ 16:00
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec | Ústecký kraj | Czechia

After many decades, the synagogue and rabbinical house in Žatec will be ceremonially opened. Both monuments have undergone complete reconstruction in recent years and will now serve as a museum and cultural space.

The celebrations will include performances by the Žatec Occasional Choir and the Camerata children’s choir at the ZUŠ in Žatec.

Long empty and in deteriorating condition, the synagogue and rabbi’s house were bought in 2013 by  Daniel Černý, who from 2019 oversaw a full-scale renovation of the buildings that was completed in 2022. Most of the €2 million costs of the project were covered with grants from the state and the EU.

The rescue and restoration of the synagogue won the Patrimonium pro futuro Award in the Monument Protection category. 

NOTE: The  program on March 22 will begin at 5 p.m.

 

Mar
22
Fri
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec
Mar 22 @ 16:00
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec | Ústecký kraj | Czechia

After many decades, the synagogue and rabbinical house in Žatec will be ceremonially opened. Both monuments have undergone complete reconstruction in recent years and will now serve as a museum and cultural space.

The celebrations will include performances by the Žatec Occasional Choir and the Camerata children’s choir at the ZUŠ in Žatec.

Long empty and in deteriorating condition, the synagogue and rabbi’s house were bought in 2013 by  Daniel Černý, who from 2019 oversaw a full-scale renovation of the buildings that was completed in 2022. Most of the €2 million costs of the project were covered with grants from the state and the EU.

The rescue and restoration of the synagogue won the Patrimonium pro futuro Award in the Monument Protection category. 

NOTE: The  program on March 22 will begin at 5 p.m.

 

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